Raiders: 3 free agents to help Las Vegas after June 1st’s cap increase
3 free agent signings the Raiders would improve from
Odell Beckham Jr.
Before I even start discussing the Raiders offense with Odell, let me talk about the Raiders offense without Odell.
This offense, as is without OBJ, is the best supporting cast Derek Carr has ever had, from a weapons standpoint. Adams is the best weapon Carr has ever had point blank period, Waller the best tight end, and Renfrow the best slot guy. As far as the skill position players go, this offense is a high[er]-tied one.
Furthermore, I’m a fan of Demarcus Robinson. I’m a fan of Keelan Cole. I firmly believe either could be a wideout no. 2 on most teams, let alone one where they’re the 4th option behind Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow. Truthfully, I’d even say I’m a fan of Mack Hollins, although I wouldn’t extend that same wideout no.2 sentiment to him.
Perhaps me listing Odell Beckham Jr on this list is mostly out of greed, but it isn’t without merit.
One of the things I’ve spent the most time talking about this off-season was the lack of outright speed at the wide receiver position for the Raiders. I feel like a broken record at times, but I’ll fall back on what I continuously state: The average 40-time for an NFL wide receiver is 4.49, and the Raiders have only one player at the position who eclipses that time – Tyron Johnson, who’s at the bottom of the depth chart.
At his combine, Odell ran a 4.43. This gives the Raiders true speed on the outside. Of course, Odell is coming off of a serious injury, meaning he’ll need time before he’s around full strength. In fact, reports suggest the Super Bowl receiver from one season ago won’t be ready to play once this upcoming season begins. Luckily for the Raiders, that’s not a problem.
To go back to the opening statements made here, the Raiders’ supporting cast is better than it’s ever been in the Carr era, even without Odell. This means there’s no rush for a return, allowing a full recovery before what could be an absolute offensive onslaught begins. Here, we can assume Odell would be integrated down the stretch, allowing everyone to mesh when the race for the post-season heats up.
As we all should know, Odell is more than speed. He’s a versatile receiver who has excellent awareness, with the athleticism to go up and grab passes that may or may not be perfectly thrown. This is no jab at Carr, who was recently named a top-10 deep ball quarterback per NFL network, ahead of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers – For the “Adams will sink going from Rodgers to Carr” crowd.
If everything goes as planned, Las Vegas will be so dominant offensively with the addition of Odell Beckham Jr, that they will simply overpower teams. Defense wins championships, and the Raiders’ defense is certainly good enough to make plays happen already. Now add Odell to the offense, and perhaps even Tretter as talked about earlier, and this team is extremely difficult to best.