Las Vegas Raiders: 3 potential free agent wide receivers
By Matt Holder
Robby Anderson
Back in October during the trade deadline, Robby Anderson was linked to the Silver and Black as the Jets were apparently shopping him. Obviously, no deal was made and he is now set to hit the open market.
The Temple product doesn’t exactly have numbers that jump off the page, but that’s more of a reflection on how poor the quarterback play has been for Gang Green than his abilities. In four years with New York, he hauled in 207 receptions for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns. His most impressive statistic is a career average of 14.78 yards per reception which ranks 15th among wide receivers with at least 200 targets since 2016.
As his yards per catch suggests, Anderson is a speed demon, however, he’s not a refined route runner. The speedster is more of a one-cut and go type of player and isn’t known for his ability to get separation using double moves. Being a dynamic route runner is typically a trait synonymous with a true number one wideout and, as previously mentioned, what Las Vegas is looking to add this offseason.
The team already has a similar type of player in Tyrell Williams and while Anderson might be better, the Raiders have $11 million in dead cap tied to the former. Then again, the organization has a little more than $50 million in cap space to spend and can walk away from Williams’ contract with no dead money at the end of 2020. In theory, the team could still bring the former Jet in, see how the season unfolds and make any necessary changes.
If Anderson does make the move to Las Vegas, look for the team to use the draft for that number one option. The soon-to-be 27-year-old and this year’s draft pick could be a deadly combination for years to come.