On Monday morning, multiple reports came out saying that the Las Vegas Raiders were set to sign veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett. The team has now made the move official, with wide receiver Justin Shorter waived in a corresponding move.
After spending the first 10 seasons of his career with the Seattle Seahawks, Lockett started this season with the Tennessee Titans. There, he managed only 10 catches for 70 yards over seven games before asking to be released.
Of course, those years in Seattle are the tie that pushed him to Las Vegas, even if the move to add him is coming about seven months later than expected. With Pete Carroll and Geno Smith in place as the head coach and quarterback, Lockett should be a quick study with the Raiders.
Justin Shorter was the easy cut candidate to make room for Tyler Lockett
Lockett wound up moving from a 1-7 team to a 2-5 team upon his release from Tennessee, which was probably not his intention when he made that request. But contending teams in need of a wide receiver probably feel they can do better on the trade market before the November 4 deadline.
There may not have been many other opportunities for Lockett at this point, which would have spurred this reunion. The Raiders tried the "more name than game at this point in his career" veteran wide receiver route in September, but Amari Cooper suddenly retired before the season started.
In lieu of another addition who would've had to learn the system on short notice before Week 1, Shorter was actually the one who was quickly signed to the active roster from the practice squad to replace Cooper. It's ironic that he'll be getting the boot with Lockett now in town.
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Shorter appeared in all seven games before the bye, but he played just five offensive snaps. He mainly produced on special teams, as he played 81 snaps on kick return, kick coverage and punt return.
The addition of Lockett broadly strengthens the likelihood that the Raiders will trade Jakobi Meyers. How his presence will impact opportunities for young wide receivers, who should get all they can handle after the bye, is a different question. Raiders fans may not love what the answer is either.
Unfortunately, Shorter was the easy candidate to be let go to make room for Lockett in a wide receiver-for-wide receiver roster swap. If he clears waivers, he should come back to the Raiders on the practice squad, as he is a big and talented young player.