2018 Raiders: Can Jordy Nelson complement Amari Cooper well?
Now that the Oakland Raiders have released three year wide receiver Michael Crabtree, the team has a new duo to support quarterback Derek Carr.
There’s a new wide receiver duo in the wild wild AFC west.
Teams in the division are already familiar with Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, and now he has a new partner in newly signed receiver Jordy Nelson. Nelson replaces his previous partner Michael Crabtree, whom quarterback Derek Carr developed a nice rapport with in recent years.
It would’ve been deadly to have turned the former duo of Cooper and Crabtree into a triple threat with Nelson, but head coach Jon Gruden wanted to go in a different direction.
Nelson now has some huge shoes to fill. Cooper and Crabtree both posted a 100-yard receiving season together in 2016, but they each regressed last season. Now that Nelson is replacing Crabtree, can he be the right complement for Amari Cooper? Well in order for that question to be answered, one of the aspects that needs to be looked at is can Nelson replicate what Crabtree did for the offense?
No, Nelson won’t replicate Crabtree. He won’t have those dropped passes out in the open like Crabtree used to commit every other game. Nelson is a sure handed receiver that Carr can rely on.
With Crabtree, it sometimes felt like such an accomplishment that he actually caught the pass. Dropped passes is the most inexcusable trait for a receiver, especially since they all wear gloves to aid them.
Nelson also won’t stand around when the pocket collapses forcing Carr to roll out and search for options. Crabtree and the entire receiving corps’ awareness during Carr’s scrambling was atrocious. No one was shaking their defenders on their initial route, so they’d just give up after that.
None of the receivers made a sufficient effort to break off their failed route once Carr was forced out of the pocket. In Green Bay, Nelson excelled in the scramble drill. Aaron Rodgers could roll out to get a different look if the defense was tight in coverage and find Nelson open.
He just has a knack for finding the soft spot in the defense once a play breaks down. This will help reduce Carr’s check downs to his running backs.
Lastly, Nelson will not have any toxic antics in the locker room. He won’t take himself out of plays and pout on the sideline.
He will be a leader and respected figurehead among the Raiders wide receivers. That’ll be beneficial for Amari Cooper as well. Nelson can help Cooper with some of the issues he is facing.
You didn’t really see or hear any of that from Crabtree. Nelson’s vast experience in the NFL will hopefully be shared among everyone.
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Nelson will be a great complement for Amari Cooper. Raider nation has many reasons to be excited about with this duo. Expectations will be high for the two to produce next season, along with Derek Carr. There’s no better coach to meet those expectations than Jon Gruden.