The Las Vegas Raiders brought in DeSean Jackson to replace the deep-threat ability of Henry Ruggs III, and they need him to make the playoffs.
When Henry Ruggs III was released from the team, the on-field problem was whether or not there was someone on this roster who could be a legitimate deep threat. Sure, they had Zay Jones on the roster, and Bryan Edwards is a good young player, but none of them strike the kind of fear a speedster like Ruggs does in a defense.
Needing help from that department, the Raiders signed DeSean Jackson, who was released by the Los Angeles Rams, and we have seen glimpses of him against Kansas City and Cincinnati. On Thursday, he made his presence felt in a hurry, scoring the Raiders’ first touchdown while displaying how dangerous he could be throughout the rest of the game.
After the game, head coach Rich Bisaccia stated that Jackson was getting more comfortable in the offense, and it was clear that Carr was more comfortable throwing him the football. This is a guy who has played at a very high level in the NFL and based on what we saw from the offense against Dallas, him being on the field can really open up what the Raiders do on the offensive side of the ball.
Even when he did not make the catch, he forced pass interference calls, and him going over 100 yards in his first extended action bodes well for the Silver and Black moving forward.
Raiders have a chance to go on a run
During the win against Dallas, the Raiders did see star tight end Darren Waller go down with a knee injury, and he is scheduled to have an MRI this week. With Waller out, Hunter Renfrow went nuts, hauling in eight catches in a career game for the former Clemson product, which was huge for this offense staying on track.
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Jackson showed that he commands respect when he is on the field, and for once, it looked like Carr was going to get him the ball, whether covered or not. That is the kind of weapon this offense has been lacking since the Ruggs crash, and to make the playoffs, they need more of the same down the stretch.