Graney: With Adams out, there’s no question about the face of the Raiders (No, not Tom Brady.)

Not that it was ever questioned — it has been this way for years now — but Maxx Crosby is the face of the Raiders.

No, it’s not Tom Brady. Although if he can help identify the next franchise quarterback, sky’s the limit.

For now, the departure of Davante Adams makes Crosby’s grip on the main leadership role even stronger.

And if you think the Raiders are in a total rebuild mode (which they should be, of course), the idea of also trading their star edge rusher was quickly shot down by owner Mark Davis this week.

Make no mistake: Adams no longer wearing the silver and black erases an unneeded distraction from the locker room.

The Raiders for two weeks now have operated on the field as if Adams would indeed be gone, a reality that came to pass when the team traded him to the Jets on Tuesday.

Focus on football

It allowed for the Raiders’ focus to return to football, something the team needed as it navigates a two-game losing streak that has its record at 2-4.

The group next plays at the Rams on Sunday. It will be another opportunity for younger and less experienced players to step forward and contribute.

“Next man up,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “(Adams) had been gone for the last two weeks, so we’re fine. Business as usual. Whatever it is, the guys we have now who might have had smaller roles, (it’s about) understanding their role is bigger.

“Like I told them, you might only get three or four catches. Make the most out of them, right? You might get two to three deep balls down the field. Make the most out of them. You might only come into the game to block. Be the best damn blocker.

“Everybody understands their role. You’re never going to replace an All-Pro receiver like Davante, but at the end of the day, we’re not trying to. We’re trying to be the best version of ourselves.”

What that means is anyone’s guess. The Raiders haven’t been a good football team for most of the season. They’ve already made a switch at quarterback and are relying on a defense that has performed well below expectations.

Truth is, the Raiders are also banged up in several spots. It’s not an excuse. It’s reality.

But who are the Raiders without Adams?

Probably an even lesser team than before. But as great a talent as he is, he’s not a running back or offensive lineman.

And until the Raiders have a competent run game, the names playing wide receiver matter less and less.

“It was time for a change,” Adams told reporters in New York on Wednesday. “We’re in a better place and the Raiders are in a better place.”

Maybe off the field. But on it?

Challenging O’Connell

It can’t be a good thing for starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell to not have Adams to throw to. Pierce is correct. You don’t just replace such a gifted player. But the coach is sure the quarterback has grown in his second season after going 5-4 as a starter down the stretch last year.

“(O’Connell) didn’t blink,” Pierce said. “When I brought him upstairs and told him we were going with him again, he looked at me and said, ‘Deja vu.’ … Aidan has really approached this — the entire season, even in training camp — like a pro. Even when he lost the (job) early on (to Gardner Minshew), he was the best scout team player he could be.”

The Raiders need better than that at the game’s most important position. They need to run the ball better and have receivers step up and produce now that Adams is gone. They need a better defensive effort. They need a lot of things.

All we know is that Crosby is the unquestioned leader.

And that there is a lot less distraction in the locker room.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.