Oakland Raiders replace Jordy Nelson with J.J. Nelson
By Brad Weiss
The Oakland Raiders continued their revamping of their roster on Friday, bringing in speedy wide receiver J.J. Nelson.
Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders are looking like they will be taking some big shots downfield next season.
On Friday, the team brought in former Arizona Cardinals speedster J.J. Nelson to add to their wide receiver group, adding another lightning fast wideout. Nelson joins a brand new wide receiver unit in Oakland, headed by Antonio Brown, who happens to be one of the best at his position in NFL history.
For Nelson, this gives him a chance to be a legitimate No. 3 wide receiver for the Silver and Black behind both Brown, and Tyrell Williams. Like Nelson, Williams was brought over to the Raiders via free agency, while Brown came to the team in the blockbuster deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Thursday, the team released Jordy Nelson, clearing the way for this deal to go down. Jon Gruden loves fast receivers, and now he has three of them, though J.J. is by far the fastest of the bunch, as his 4.28 40 back in 2015 is still the fifth-best mark in Combine history.
Last season, tight end Jared Cook led the Raiders in receiving yards, so you can be sure that this offense is going to look a lot different in year two under Gruden. The team went out and signed big offensive tackle Trent Brown earlier in free agency, solidifying the tackle position, which should lead to Carr having more time in the pocket.
Nelson is certainly a deep threat, as his 17.8 yards per catch average is the best mark in all of football. His arrival could also spell the end for Seth Roberts, who will count almost $5 million against the cap next season, and with second-year wideout Marcell Ateman waiting in the wings, Roberts could be the odd man out.