Getty Former Raiders WR Isaiah Zuber.
The Las Vegas Raiders have spent most of their time over the past several weeks adding players in free agency. With so many additions, the team will have to start letting go of other players. They’ve already gotten off to an early start.
The Raiders announced that they have waived punter Julian Diaz and wide receiver Isaiah Zuber.
We have waived P Julian Diaz and WR Isaiah Zuber.
They both will be subject to waivers but will likely hit free agency soon. Diaz has only been with the team for a few months but never had a realistic chance to make the team with A.J. Cole on the roster. The All-Pro punter has the job locked down and shouldn’t be losing it anytime soon.
Zuber spent the entirety of last season with the Raiders but was mostly on the practice squad. He didn’t get a chance to play in a single game. He is a former New England Patriot so he had familiarity with Josh McDaniels but that didn’t help him get snaps. The 25-year-old should still be on the team’s radar if he remains a free agent. He’s familiar with the system and could be a good practice squad piece down the road.
Raiders Loaded at WR
Zuber couldn’t have felt good about his chances of sticking with the Raiders after watching their offseason. The team added a litany of wide receivers headlined by Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders wide receiver corps has good players at the top but is also deep with talent. Even with Zuber cut, the team still has 10 wide receivers on the roster.
Las Vegas only has five wide receivers on the active roster to start last season so things could get heated in training camp. The Raiders may end up needing to go into the season with more than five wide receivers. The draft hasn’t happened yet so there’s a strong chance they add even more wide receivers in the coming weeks. Davante Adams and Meyers aren’t going anywhere but there’s still a chance Hunter Renfrow gets dealt. Regardless, the Raiders are going to have some tough decisions to make when training camp arrives.
Jimmy Garoppolo Named Better for With Raiders
The wide receivers who are returning from last year’s team are going to have a different person throwing them the ball this year. Derek Carr is now with the New Orleans Saints and Jimmy Garoppolo was signed to replace him in Las Vegas. While Carr is considered the more talented of the two, he was an awkward fit with McDaniels. Garoppolo has played under the coach before and knows his tendencies. Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus explained why Garoppolo will be a better fit in this offense than Carr was:
Garoppolo’s experience with McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan means that he has run an offense that has ranked top four in plays with motion in every year of his career. He can handle the mental load that comes with running motion on the vast majority of plays.
Garoppolo won’t match Carr’s arm strength and ability to threaten defenses outside the numbers, but he may be able to diversify the Raiders’ offense in a way McDaniels has not been able to since he lost Brady.