What role does Tyrell Williams play for the Oakland Raiders?
By Nick Ellis
The Oakland Raiders vastly improved their wide receiver group this offseason, and we look at what kind of role Tyrell Williams will play in 2019.
Oakland Raiders fans have high expectations for the passing offense going into the 2019 season. With a rebuilt offensive line, a completely new and improved group of skill players, and a healthy Derek Carr, there is no reason the Raiders should not be one of the most electrifying offenses in the NFL.
Although most people are looking to Antonio Brown and Josh Jacobs to help give the spark that the Raiders have been missing the last two seasons, there is another player that is going to play a vital role in the offense’s success; Tyrell Williams.
As the sure fire WR2 on the roster, Williams will have to have his best season yet if the Raiders are going to reach their potential. Although Antonio Brown will carry the majority of the load, every great receiver has a solid partner to take some pressure off him.
Julio Jones has Sanu and Ridley, DeAndre Hopkins has Will Fuller, Antonio Brown had JuJu Smith-Schuster in Pittsburgh, and even Amari Cooper had Michael Crabtree when the Raiders had their best season of the Derek Carr era.
As a part of the Chargers team, Williams has had solid success as a WR2, posting over 600 yards and four or more touchdowns in each of his last two seasons. In 2016, Williams was the top receiver for the Chargers when Keenan Allen went down, and he posted over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns with Phillip Rivers.
The Raiders will need that kind of production out of Williams, whether he is the number one guy or not.
Playing in a division such as the AFC West, the Raiders will have to put up points at a high pace to defeat teams such as the Chiefs and Chargers. As good as Antonio Brown is, it will take more than just him to compete with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs high power offense, as well as directly competing against the star studded defense of the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tyrell Williams will have to provide more than he has in previous years for this offense to succeed, and he has the potential to do just that.
With Antonio Brown on the field, Tyrell Williams will have more opportunities than ever. Just like how JuJu Smith Schuster benefited from Antonio Brown taking most of the focus away from him, Williams should be in that same position this upcoming season. The Raiders will need him to take complete advantage of this, and have a breakout year in 2019.
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If he could put up the numbers he did in Los Angeles with Keenan Allen on the other side of the field, there is no reason we cannot expect a 1,000 yard season out of Tyrell Williams with Antonio Brown opposite of him.