The Las Vegas Raiders had very little depth at wide receiver during the 2019 NFL season, but that is certainly not the case anymore.
Last season, the then-Oakland Raiders struggled big time with Tyrell Williams out of the lineup, as he took over as the team’s WR1 out of camp after the Antonio Brown debacle. Williams hauled in a touchdown in each of the team’s first four games, showing the kind of big play ability that made Mike Mayock bring him in from rival Los Angeles.
As he enters Year 2 with the Raiders, Williams is once again battling an injury, but this time it has nothing to do with his plantar fasciitis. Williams revealed that he had a torn labrum earlier this week, and while this would have devastated the Raiders in 2019, that will not be the case in 2020.
Raiders are deep at wide receiver this season
After drafting both Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Raiders have a solid group at wide receiver entering 2020. The team had already brought in Nelson Agholor via free agency prior to the draft, adding a guy who played his best football in the biggest of games, going for over 80 yards in the Super Bowl.
In 2019, Oakland traded for Zay Jones, who has looked very good this summer after putting in a lot of personal time with quarterback Derek Carr. In fact, the Raiders have so much depth at wideout heading into 2020 that they could realistically bring a minimum of six receivers with them to Carolina for the season opener.
Edwards is expected to slide in and start for Williams if he cannot go, and Ruggs is already slated to be the team’s WR1 entering 2020. Hunter Renfrow had a solid rookie campaign, going for over 100 yards in back-to-back games to close out the 2019 season, and he will be the man in the slot once again.
Williams is going to play a big role in this offense this season, but unlike last year, the team can get along fine if he has to miss time. Mike Mayock did a great job turning this position group into a strength this offseason, and where was once a depleted collection behind Williams and Renfrow last season, now stands a group ready to go if their number is called.