Will Fuller can bring explosiveness back to the Raiders offense
By Jason Willis
Will Fuller can bring explosiveness back to the Raiders offense
Why the Raiders need Fuller
As mentioned, the Raiders offense badly lacks speed at wide receiver. Fuller has this in droves. In fact, he ran a 4.32 40 yard dash at the NFL combine in 2016. This is even faster than known speedster Desean Jackson who ran a 4.35. This blazing speed is the biggest reason he was selected in the first round by the Houston Texans.
Think back to the first month or so of the Raiders 2021 season. Chances are you thought of a Henry Ruggs deep ball fairly quickly. After he was ousted, that section of the playbook was basically unusable as Vegas didn’t have anyone that could do it. While Fuller certainly would not just replace Ruggs, he would give the Raiders a piece they don’t currently have.
He played sparingly in 2021 due to injury but in 2020, he had his best statistical season with 53 catches for 879 yards and eight touchdowns in just eleven games. With five more games he likely cruises past 1,000 receiving yards while also securing double-digit touchdowns. Aside from the explosive plays that Fuller would create for himself, his speed makes things easier for everyone else.
While defenses are forced to respect the raw speed of Fuller, players such as Waller and Renfrow will be free to dominate in the middle of the field.
It will also help quarterback Derek Carr who has greatly benefitted from speed on the outside. Henry Ruggs was becoming a favorite target of Carr’s largely because he was confident that he would beat his man down the field. The same can be said for Nelson Agholor who had a career year playing with “DC”.
Fuller can easily play this role in Las Vegas.