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Things are following apart for the Oakland Raiders thanks to Antonio Brown. What once seemed like a solid marriage has deteriorated significantly. This whole saga may end with Brown’s release and the Raiders’ most exciting offensive addition could end with the wide receiver on another team. The worst part about this is that the season starts this week and Oakland has an important game against the Denver Broncos.
Denver still has a stout defense and are formidable despite coming off a bad season. Having Brown would’ve helped the Raiders tremendously, but that’s looking like it isn’t going to happen. Fortunately, Jon Gruden’s offense has some serious talent that will help lessen the blow of losing Antonio Brown.
Josh Jacobs Is Now the Raiders’ Most Important Offensive Player
Not all is lost for the Raiders if Brown ends up released. Oakland is very high on their rookie running back Josh Jacobs. He was the top running back taken in the 2019 NFL Draft and that’s because he’s an excellent dual-threat option. Offensive coordinator, Greg Olson, had a chance to sing his praise.
“He has not disappointed us at all in terms of the physical part of the game or the mental part of the game,” said Olson after a recent practice.
Jacobs has only played one drive of preseason football, so the Raiders haven’t had a chance to unleash him yet. With Brown potentially gone, Jacobs should become the centerpiece of the entire offense. He’s the polar opposite of Brown. He hides from the cameras and doesn’t like media attention. He’s all about just playing football and trying to be the best running back in the NFL. His versatility will make him a dynamic option for Oakland. The loss of Brown could hurt, but now Derek Carr and Jon Gruden don’t have to worry about forcing him the ball to keep him happy. The Raiders’ offensive stars are mostly ego-free and could actually lead to a better product.
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Derek Carr & Tyrell Williams Need to Step Up
The player that a Brown departure could hurt the most is quarterback Derek Carr. He might go from having one of the best receiving corps in the NFL to a pretty average unit. There’s still more talent there than there was towards the back half of last season, but it’s not nearly as impressive without Brown. Luckily, he’s been building a strong rapport with Tyrell Williams during training camp.
Williams has a lot of upside. He’s big, fast and has a good set of hands. He’ll fill in just fine into that number one wide receiver role. He would’ve been an awesome number two, but sometimes this is how things go. Hunter Renfrow will be a fun option, but there’s no doubt that Williams will be the guy. According to David Carr, Derek’s brother, the Raiders might actually be better off with Brown’s drama.
“There’s a relief, honestly, that he might not be there,” David Carr said on NFL Network. “Because quite honestly it’s been better practices when he’s not there. When AB’s not been around the building, there’s been a lack of just complete insanity that has actually been pretty comforting. . . they have 52 guys that are getting ready to go out there and make something happen and unfortunately, it’s just one guy that’s kind of holding them all back.”
Looks like there are some positives to Brown being gone.
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