Have the Raiders upgraded or downgraded so far this offseason?

Despite employing players familiar with "The Patriot Way," NFL executives believe the Raiders may have created a "losing way" after their offseason moves.

"[The Raiders] want familiarity but have downgraded in every way," an unnamed NFL exec told The Athletic's Mike Sando.

The second-year regime consisting of head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler released QB Derek Carr, traded former Pro Bowl TE Darren Waller, and signed veterans Jimmy Garoppolo and Jakobi Meyers.

Meyers and Garoppolo played under McDaniels while he served as New England offensive coordinator so each knows his system and could produce in it. Nonetheless, neither seems like an upgrade over the pieces they're replacing.

Over the past five seasons, Carr has thrown more TDs (114), put up more passing yards (20,532) and played in more games than Garoppolo, who missed 31 contests due to injury.

Waller, 30, battled a hamstring injury last season, limiting him to nine games, but he remained productive, recording a career-high 13.9 yards per reception. Since 2019, he's hauled in 280 receptions for 3,394 yards. Conversely, Meyers tallied 235 receptions for 2,758 yards during the same time frame.

Although both could surprise and have career years, it's unlikely they'll surpass the production of Carr and Waller.

After the Raiders slid to 6-11 last season, McDaniels' desire to make changes is understandable, and even bringing in his pieces is logical since he knows how to use them properly.  

Yet when the changes start to unbind the roster, it continues to knock down an organization's foundation, which has been a problem for Las Vegas since it's only made the playoffs twice over the past decade.

Ultimately, if the Raiders flop in 2023, it falls on the second-year regime because it's counting on these changes to transform the franchise.