Getty Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green.
The Oakland Raiders may not be done making moves after completing a trade with the Buffalo Bills for wide receiver Zay Jones. Though Oakland is 3-2 through five games, there is still room for improvement. The team doesn’t have a true number one wide receiver. Tyrell Williams is an excellent number two, but he needs help. According to Sam Monson at Pro Football Focus, the Raiders need to make a move to bolster their receiver corps:
The Raiders have been surprisingly competitive through five games despite playing against the Chicago Bears in London with one of the weakest looking receiving corps in memory. Even when their group gets healthy, they would be massively upgraded with the addition of Green, who would finally give Derek Carr a legitimate No. 1 receiver with a proven track record of making it work with average quarterback play. Over the past five years, only Julio Jones has averaged more yard per route run than Green’s 2.46. He also has just 21 drops on over 500 targets over that span.
The Cinnicannit Bengals are one of the worst teams in the NFL and should be heading into a full rebuild. They don’t have a lot of use for a 31-year old wide receiver, who is in a contract year. A.J. Green is one of the greats, nobody would dispute that. But is it a trade the Raiders should make?
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Should the Raiders Trade for A.J. Green or Stefon Diggs?
There’s no doubt that the Bengals will at least try to get a first-round pick in exchange for Green, but it remains to be seen if they’ll get that. When healthy, he is a top wide receiver in the NFL. That being said, he’s rarely healthy these days. Green missed seven games in 2018 and six in 2016. Plus, he has yet to play a game in 2019 through five weeks. That coupled with the fact that he has nothing tying him to the Raiders past this season if the trade is made, general manager Mike Mayock should exercise caution. Oakland shouldn’t offer up anything more than a third-round pick and change for the star wide receiver.
If the Raiders are going to spend big on a wide receiver, they’d be better off going after Minnesota Vikings player, Stefon Diggs. Green has a much more prolific track record, but Diggs is much younger. Oakland has a very young roster, so adding youth would probably be the better play. Additionally, Diggs is under contract through 2023. The Vikings will likely demand a higher asking price than the Bengals considering they have much more leverage and a winning team.
This Raiders squad could be an elite wide receiver away from real playoff contention. If Jon Gruden and Mayock also feel that is the case, they should be willing to trade draft picks. One of the two 2020 first-round drafts pick will almost certainly be used on a wide receiver. A first-rounder is a little too steep for an unhealthy Green, but why not send one away for a player like Diggs?
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