The Oakland Raiders released wide receiver Jordy Nelson on Thursday, but was it really a good thing for this wideout group moving forward.
Just as the Oakland Raiders started to build a strong wide receiver trio they make the decision to cut Jordy Nelson. The move comes as a bit of surprise considering the team had just paid Nelson a roster bonus of $3.6 million in December.
That bonus made it seem like Nelson was a lock on the roster for 2019. Not to mention that Jon Gruden had already stated that Jordy would be coming back next year. Then again, anything Gruden says should always be taken with a grain of salt.
It’s moves like this that make some people question whether or not Gruden has a plan. Clearly he didn’t have one in December or at least altered it. The addition of Mike Mayock definitely changes things since he adds a different perspective. What about the perspective of the wide receiving group?
Does the release of Jordy Nelson help or hurt them?
Other than feeding the narrative of Gruden not having a plan, this doesn’t hurt the Raiders one bit. The Raiders receivers aren’t filled with a bunch of young bucks that can look up to him. Even if they did, that role is going to swing to Antonio Brown now, who also is a contributing factor to Jordy’s release.
The clear goal, at least with the receivers, is to add talented and ideally young stars. Antonio Brown is the exception since he is the best receiver in the league. If it wasn’t clear that the Raiders would draft a receiver with their first four picks it’s certainly clear now.
The free agent pool of receivers at this point is essentially dried up. There isn’t anyone really worth adding at this point that will make much of an impact other than add depth. The draft is absolutely the way to go to add a receiver.
So cutting Jordy Nelson does actually help the group. Now any pending rookies or even Marcell Ateman will see a lot more reps. There was no point in giving those reps to a declining player like Nelson.
On Friday, Oakland signed former Arizona wide receiver J.J. Nelson to a deal, as they continue to get young at the wideout position. Nelson is another blazer to add to a group that already includes Tyrell Williams and Brown, two guys who can take the lid off the defense.
In the grand scheme of things, Nelson’s release adds $3.5 to the cap, while also leaving $1.8 in dead space. The Raiders are without a doubt still looking to add pieces in free agency. With more cap space to play with a pass rusher should finally be in the play. All things considered, cutting Jordy Nelson was good for the Raiders overall.