How do the Raiders’ pass catchers stack up against the rest of the league?

How they compare

Even though they rank 17th leaguewide, the Raiders are the sixth highest-ranked AFC team on the list and second in the AFC West. They trail obvious groups like the Dolphins (second) and Texans (fifth) but for some reason, still remain behind the Bengals (ninth), Titans (12th) and Chiefs (16th). 

The Bengals have an elite No. 1 receiver in Ja’Marr Chase and a very good WR2 in Tee Higgins, but in my opinion, they lack the depth or diversity of options that the Raiders have. Chase and Higgins may have a slight edge over the duo of Adams and Meyers, but tight ends Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample do not hold a candle to our duo of Mayer and Bowers. Not only this, but new Bengals RB Zack Moss, for all the snaps he played last year, did not even eclipse 200 receiving yards. The loss of Joe Mixon will hurt Cincinnati in the passing game more than people think. 

If it were a few years ago, the Titans may have been regarded as the most dangerous offense in the league. However, none of the players they have currently on the team are at the peak of their careers. DeAndre Hopkins barely surpassed 1,000 receiving yards last season, which was the first time he did so since 2020.

Calvin Ridley had a solid campaign last year as the main option in Jacksonville, but with inferior quarterback play this year and having to split more targets, he projects to have even less impact than he did a year ago. Tyler Boyd’s numbers have gone down every year since 2019, even though last year the Bengals did not have Tee Higgins for a solid portion of the season.

Tyjae Spears is a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield and Tony Pollard is also, so they have the Raiders beat there, but they only have one tight end who could even make the Raiders’ roster. Chigoziem Okonkwo would likely be competing for backup tight end reps on the Silver and Black. Las Vegas' wide receivers and tight ends are far better than what the Titans can offer, and even though their running backs are a bit better in the receiving game, one would figure that these backs will not be the focal point of the passing game. 

Lastly, the Chiefs being ahead of us is a bit frustrating, even though it is understandable. Travis Kelce remains one of the best tight ends in the league, and if Hollywood Brown can stay healthy and be the deep threat that he is, secondaries around the league might be in trouble.

Rashee Rice shined in his first campaign last year and if Xavier Worthy can be half the player that Rice was as a rookie, then look out for this group. There are a few dark clouds looming over the unit though. The first is that Rice will likely be facing a lengthy suspension as a result of his off-the-field behavior this summer. The second is that Hollywood Brown has never played a full season in his NFL career; he has missed at least one game every year due to injury.

Third, Worthy has to actually produce on the field, which may be more difficult if he is garnering CB1 attention if Brown is hurt and Rice is suspended. Lastly, while Kelce is still elite, he definitely showed signs of slowing down last season, and who knows when he will run out of gas. With all these question marks, it is difficult to see how the Raiders' weapons alone are ranked behind them, but at the end of the day, with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, any set of weapons will do just fine. 

I have high hopes for the Raiders’ pass catchers, no matter who the quarterback is.