With the proven commodity of Jakobi Meyers, the latent potential of Tre Tucker and little else behind them, the Las Vegas Raiders had a clear need at wide receiver this offseason. They eventually turned to the draft to address it, taking Jack Bech in the second round, Dont'e Thornton in the fourth and quarterback-convert Tommy Mellott in the sixth.
Bech and Thornton have looked ready to take on big roles right away this offseason, and that opportunity is there for them to take. But in somewhat of a win-now mode under head coach Pete Carroll, having another proven pass catcher going into the season would be nice.
The list of free agent wide receiver options is obviously not robust at this point, even with a couple big names atop it, so the Raiders may be left to keep an eye on who is cut by other teams. The trade market is another potential avenue to add someone, but the options on that front are either unclear right now or ultimately unexciting.
Latest trade proposal makes Raiders the rescue raft for first-round bust
NFL training camps are on the horizon, but with that in mind, Cory Woodruff of USA TODAY proposed 10 realistic pre-training camp trades. One involves the Raiders, and the proposal is not incredibly exciting.
"Burks' time in Tennessee feels nigh, as the former first-round receiver has struggled to live up to his draft status because of injuries," Woodruff wrote. "If any team in the NFL could take a flier on a former first-round wideout, it's the Raiders. Las Vegas has real questions at receiver, and Burks could contend for a starting role or a key depth role in Chip Kelly's offense. Particularly with quarterback Geno Smith throwing the ball, we'd love to see Burks try to really get his NFL career going with one of the most pass-happy quarterbacks in the NFL. While the Titans would probably have to settle for a late pick, a fresh start feels right for all parties involved. The Raiders could be a nice landing spot for Burks at this point, and the Titans could give its younger receivers more reps."
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An ACL tear cost Burks all but five games last season. He also missed six games in each of his first two seasons after the Titans used the first-round pick they got for A.J. Brown on him. That plan couldn't have gone any worse for Tennessee, and they've now pushed Burks to the edge of the wide receiver depth chart as they look to surround No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward with talent.
Since he suffered his knee injury last October, Burks likely won't be fully cleared for the start of training camp, and his status for the start of the season is iffy. Woodruff's premise that the Titans could give their younger receivers more reps by parting with him applies similarly to the Raiders, since they surely want to give their young receivers plenty of work during camp as well.
Giving up a conditional seventh-round pick for Burks, which would naturally be conditional on him making the 53-man roster, is a fine price to pay for an obvious flier. But the cost to acquire him reflects what his place in the Raiders' wide receiver pecking order would be. Which is to say, inconsequential, to the point of "why even bother?"