Raiders mailbag: Fans curious about Antonio Pierce’s future

The Raiders return from their bye week and play at Miami on Sunday.

A lot has changed since they lost at Cincinnati in Week 9, including the firing of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. In his place is Scott Turner, who had been the Raiders’ passing game coordinator.

Raiders fans have plenty of questions about the team, which has lost five straight and is 2-7. Here’s a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:

Jay Cooper (@SoCalJay01): If coach Antonio Pierce gets fired, who do you think will be the top three candidates for the job?

Vincent Bonsignore: If the Raiders make a coaching change, the search could be heavily influenced by Tom Brady, recently approved as a limited partner owner of the club. He’s expected to have a significant say in the club’s football operations over time.

If so, expect former Titans coach Mike Vrabel, a good friend of Brady’s, to be in the mix. If the Raiders are in position to draft one of the top quarterback prospects, they might pursue one of the NFL’s bright offensive minds. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury could be at the top of that list.

Harrison (@Harriso59092532): Will the Raiders show up and play like a team that wants to play, or continue to play like the dysfunctional team they have been?

Bonsignore: The Raiders want to win. Effort is not the issue; performance is. Expect them to continue to play hard in the final eight games. That does not mean the results will change, though.

Alan in Vegas (@alaninvegas): Will coaches develop the young players with the understanding that they will be retained next season or will they start their best players to get as many wins as possible?

Bonsignore: Developing players and trying to win are not mutually exclusive. But if you’re asking if the Raiders will play a lesser player for the sake of development at the possible expense of winning, the answer is no. The best players will play. Players who are on a developmental track will have to earn their playing time.

Brian Tolbert (@nigent36): If quarterback Gardner Minshew continues to commit turnovers, who will start? Aidan O’Connell, when healthy? Or Desmond Ridder?

Bonsignore: All things being equal on health, it will be the quarterback the Raiders believe gives them the best chance to win.

T (@RaiderT6): Thoughts on if wide receiver Tre Tucker is going to have a legitimate role soon?

Bonsignore: He definitely has a role. The issue is the quarterback getting him the ball.

JudgeChamber (@yankeefan5045): Do you expect Jackson Powers-Johnson to be the center going forward, even if Andre James is healthy?

Bonsignore: If the rookie offensive lineman keeps playing like he did against the Bengals, it would be difficult to imagine him moving back to guard.

DC (@chappy23us): Why has general manager Tom Telesco been immune from criticism?

Bonsignore: Most people understand that Telesco’s hands were tied in terms of drafting one of the top three quarterbacks. None of the teams with a top-3 position was willing to move to No. 13 in a trade.

That said, Telesco did a good job by selecting tight end Brock Bowers, Powers-Johnson and offensive tackle DJ Glaze. And free-agent acquisition Christian Wilkins was playing great before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

It’s going to take more than one offseason to fix the team’s biggest issues.

Raider Vic (@raider_vic28693): Why was Marvin Lewis hired as an assistant coach? What does he actually do?

Bonsignore: Lewis, who coached the Bengals for 16 seasons, was hired to be a consultant and sounding board for Pierce.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.