Oakland Raiders free agency: Tyrell Williams grade, reaction

The Oakland Raiders will have a brand new wide receiver group in 2019, and Tyrell Williams figures to be the No. 2 option for Derek Carr.

Entering the 2019 offseason, the main narrative for the Oakland Raiders was that quarterback Derek Carr needed help. He needed a strong supporting cast to optimize his abilities. And considering the lack of talent that was around him last season, it would be a priority in free agency and the draft to be able to surround him with talented players.

So far in free agency the Raiders have been able to drastically improve the players around Carr. They got him the best receiver in the game in Antonio Brown as well as one of the best offensive tackles in Trent Brown.

Now the Raiders have added more depth to the receiver group. Former Los Angeles Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams is set to join the Silver and Black, which instantly makes him the No. 2 receiver on the team.

The Raiders receivers now consist of Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and J.j. Nelson, who was signed Friday after the team released Jordy Nelson on Thursday. That is an elite dynamic trio that Derek Carr has never seen before. This also allows Marcel Ateman and any potential rookies to get reps behind the scenes.

Contract details

Williams signed on with the Oakland Raiders to a four year $44 million deal with a max value of $47 million. That includes his guarantees that equate to $22 million. A fair price and even a little surprising since it was widely speculated that Williams would get close to $15 million per year.

National reaction

Grade

While the Raiders did in fact have to overspend a little to get Tyrell Williams, it’s nothing compared to what his impact will be on the offense. The Raiders desperately needed a vertical threat. Antonio Brown can accomplish that, but he’s not going deep on every single route.

They need a vertical specialist and Williams is one. He’s a legit deep threat that will lead to lapses in coverage for a defense because they have to double Brown, but also worry about Williams. This creates openings for Jordy Nelson on a lot of under routes. The addition of Tyrell makes the receiving group dynamic.

They have a variety of ways they can use these receivers. Last season, there was constraint on the offense because of the lack of abilities of the wideouts. Now that notion is irrelevant. The offense can do so much with it’s aerial attack. The Raiders have never had this great of a wide receiver group since Jon Gruden’s first stint with the Raiders when they had Tim Brown, Jerry Rice and Jerry Porter. It’s no wonder Gruden wanted to add Williams so badly, especially with the league now being dominated by pass offense.