The Las Vegas Raiders are looking for a name atop their depth chart at wide receiver this offseason, but they have a solid piece at No. 2 in Tyrell Williams.
Last season, the Oakland Raiders signed wide receiver Tyrell Williams to a four-year, $44 million contract with $22 million guaranteed. Through the first four games of the season, Williams proved to be worth the money spent on him in free agency, hauling in a touchdown in each game.
Unfortunately, it was discovered that Williams had sustained a foot injury Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts, and he went on to miss the following two weeks while attempting to rehabilitate from injury. When he returned against the Houston Texans in Week 7, he was productive with three catches with a 30 yard average and a touchdown, but he was visibly affected by the pain which led to a number of drops.
As the season progressed, Williams' play was limited due to injury and when Williams was active in the games, he was often ineffective due mainly to the amount of pain he was playing through.
While it was reported that Williams was suffering from plantar fascitis, the severity of the injury had been downplayed for a significant part of the season with minimal updates and cryptic statements surrounding his recovery. It had appeared that Williams health had turned the corner late in the season until the final game of the year, in which he was virtually ineffective.
With an offseason to rest and rehabilitate, The Athletic's Vic Tafur reported after speaking with Head Coach Jon Gruden, that Williams' foot is almost at 100%. With Williams' looking at a full recovery, it should be anticipated that his production should increase.
Tyrell was one of Derek Carr's top targets prior to his injury partly due to his large frame and the ability to get open, Carr and Williams developed a strong chemistry early in the season.
Looking forward into 2020 with Williams' rehabilitation complete and the addition of a true WR1 along with more continuity in the receiver group, it should be expected to see Williams to pick up where he left off prior to his Week 4 injury in 2019. I don't think that it would be outside the realm of possibility to expect a 100-catch, 1,000 yard, and ten touchdown season from Williams based on his previous production and his utilization within the offense.
Williams health is certainly a major cog to the functionality of the Raiders offensive machine and his ability to compete healthy in 2020 is certainly exciting.