The Las Vegas Raiders add significant depth to their receiver core this offseason providing more competition in a heavily crowded field.
The Las Vegas Raiders went all-in on their offense this offseason, as they drafted and signed players all with something to prove. The 2020 NFL Draft gave the team the opportunity to draft Henry Ruggs III, a player who is known for his speed and taking the top off the defense, and Bryan Edwards, who left South Carolina as the all-time receiving leader.
In free agency, the Raiders added Nelson Agholor to a team-friendly deal, and he is a former Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has struggled with the dropsies in recent years, but when he is right, he is a very capable NFL wideout.
In addition to the new faces in town, the Raiders return two key pieces to wide receiver group from last year. Before plantar fasciitis derailed his season, Tyrell Williams was a touchdown machine, and will be a tremendous WR2 behind Ruggs in the depth chart this season.
Hunter Renfrow battled an injury during the middle of his rookie season, but returned strong, finishing the campaign with back-to-back 100-yard games. In 2019, tight end Darren Waller led the team in receptions, but that might not be the case in 2020.
Competition will be heavy in 2020
This offseason will see a large amount of competition for the slot receiver position with Agholor having something to prove. and Renfrow wanting to keep himself in the starting lineup. The addition of Ruggs gives this position group something it was missing, and all these new assets will help free up Josh Jacobs in the run game.
Ruggs, Williams, and Renfrow are all locks to make the roster, as is Edwards, who was brought in with a third round pick. Behind those four, the competition between Zay Jones, Keelan Doss, Agholor, and a host of other wideouts is going to be intense as they look to lock onto a spot on the first Las Vegas roster.
Hopefully, all these new weapons will lead to Derek Carr taking more shots downfield, as he not only has the weapons, but also the offensive line to protect him. If they all can click, this Raiders offense has a chance to be downright special this season.