Las Vegas Raiders: 3 reasons Derek Carr will outplay Justin Herbert in 2021
Weapons, Weapons, Weapons
I will go ahead and get this out of the way now, Darren Waller is a better receiver than Keenan Allen. The Chargers receiver did play most of 2020 banged up, but comparing the sure-handed receiver to tight end Waller is kind of unfair to some degree.
I know comparing a tight end to a wide receiver is a bit of apple and oranges, but let’s be honest, Darren Waller is more wide receiver than a tight end. In fact, the tight end is a former converted wide receiver, and by looking at his 2020 stats, in only his second full season for the Raiders, Waller has already had a better season than Allen has ever had.
His 107 receptions and nine touchdowns are more than Allen has had in any season. Sprinkle in expected huge leaps from second-year receivers Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards and add free agent acquisitions John Brown and Willie Snead to the mix, and you see the Raiders receiving core should surely improve in 2021.
Another underrated acquisition was Kenyan Drake, the former Arizona Cardinals running back who is a dual-threat back with blazing speed and soft hands. Pairing him with Pro Bowl back Josh Jacobs will give quarterback Derek Carr a potent one-two punch out of the backfield he has never had. Outside of Allen, the Chargers have no real receiving threats.
Mike Williams is an inconsistent No. 2 receiver next to Allen, and the Chargers are leaning heavily on the hope that Jalen Guyton can become a consistent threat for Herbert. The Chargers also lost starting tight end Hunter Henry to free agency and replaced him with 34-year-old tight end Jared Cook, who seems to be on a significant decline.
Add the fact that the jury is still out on if running back Austin Ekeler will be a star, or even healthy for that matter and there is plenty of uncertainty on the Chargers offense. Check this one for Derek Carr.