As expected, the Las Vegas Raiders are already missing Jakobi Meyers. After sending the veteran to the Jacksonville Jaguars at the trade deadline, the Raiders were left without a top wide receiver. Soon after signing with the team, Tyler Lockett suddenly had a chance to take on a prominent role in the offense.
That chance is already disappearing. Lockett was featured heavily in the Raiders' loss to the Denver Broncos, but he failed to make the most of his opportunities.
While it may hurt to admit, this is far from the reunion Raiders fans were hoping would inject life into their team's offense.
Tyler Lockett is already showing Raiders he's not the star Geno Smith knows
Back in the day, Lockett and Smith were an electric duo. With the Seahawks, the veteran receiver helped bring Smith's career back from the ashes. Lockett's explosiveness down the field paired perfectly with the quarterback's willingness to fit the ball into tight windows.
So, when the two reunited in Las Vegas, it looked like an opportunity for Smith to get his Raiders career back on track. Just two weeks into their time together, that doesn't look to be the case at all.
In his first game with the Raiders, Lockett had just one target and zero receptions. He was barely more than a depth piece, but the performance was excusable so soon after arriving. Then, after Meyers was traded away, he seemed poised to take on a more featured role.
While the wideout was a bigger part of Chip Kelly's offense against the Broncos, he didn't exactly shine in the spotlight. He finished the night with five catches on six targets for 44 yards. After a quick start in the first half, the receiver's usage tapered off late in the game.
With Lockett as the primary receiver on many of Smith's dropbacks, the offense was stagnant. The veteran struggled to get separation, and even when he did, his quarterback wasn't consistently able to connect with him.
There aren't many other options at wide receiver for Las Vegas, so the 33-year-old may continue to get a significant share of the targets for the rest of this season. But if he's the top wideout, the offense is limited at best. One thing is certain: this is not the explosive pairing of Smith and Lockett that many fans were hoping to see when the receiver was signed.