Oct 19, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Brice Butler (12) catches a 55 yard pass against the Arizona Cardinals in the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Receiver Roles
A true No. 1 receiver is a deep threat, can get separation on routes, has reliable hands and runs well after the catch. In Week 7 against the Chargers, he showed his ability to run after the catch as he turned a short pass into 45-yard touchdown. Then last Sunday, Butler showed that he had the speed to separate from corners and get open deep for a 55-yard catch.
After his 55-yard catch, you’d think the Raiders would try that again but he didn’t have another ball thrown is way Sunday. Meanwhile, Andre Holmes is a home-run or-strike-out type that has dropped five passes in his last three games. Then we have James Jones, who has great hands but doesn’t have the speed or quickness to get open on a No. 1 corner.
So Jones should be in the slot where he can do his work on third down to make conversions to keep the offense on the field. Then Holmes could be used to take shots down the field because his hands aren’t reliable for third down and he’s not a run-after-the-catch type. So that leaves Butler as the No. 1 target—not only because of his talent but because the others have failed.