Getty Former Raiders WR Bryan Edwards.
With Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler set to have their first full offseason with the Las Vegas Raiders, there will be a lot of eyes watching how the team does in the draft. It’s no secret that Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock were a complete disaster from 2019 to 2021. This has been further emphasized by how poorly some players they draft have played on new teams.
Mayock infamously said third-round picks are “like stealing” and then proceeded to miss on three third-round picks in 2020. Lynn Bowden Jr., Bryan Edwards and Tanner Muse are no longer on the team and none of the three have shown that they’ll be impact players in the NFL. Edwards was the most exciting out of the group. There was talk of him being a first-round pick if he hadn’t been hurt heading into the draft. Gruden even compared him to Terrell Owens.
McDaniels and company weren’t very impressed with Edwards and traded him to the Atlanta Falcons. He played in seven games with the team before getting cut. He then made his way to the Kansas City Chiefs‘ practice squad. Despite having plenty of need for a wide receiver to step up, Edwards hasn’t seen the field since joining the team and he won’t get the chance. The Chiefs cut the wide receiver, per the wire. It appears that McDaniels was wise to get something in return for Edwards this offseason.
What Went Wrong With Edwards?
Edwards has all the tools to be a great NFL wide receiver. He’s got sticky hands and great size at 6-foot-3. He was supposed to be unstoppable when it came to jump balls. He doesn’t have great speed as he ran a 4.53 40-yard dash but that’s not a terrible number. In fact, it’s faster than the 4.56 40-yard dash that Davante Adams ran coming into the NFL.
The problem with Edwards is he has a hard time getting open. Not every play can be a 50-50 ball. If he’s going to have a career going forward, he’ll have to work on his route-running ability. He certainly has the physical ability to be a great player but he needs to work on his fundamentals.
The rookie Bryan Edwards hauls it in for the @Raiders TD. #RaiderNation
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Can Raiders Play Spoiler for Chiefs?
The Chiefs could have a chance to win the No. 1 seed in the AFC in Week 18. With that in mind, they are likely to bring everything they have against the Raiders. Las Vegas showed last week against the San Francisco 49ers that they can still compete with the NFL’s best teams. The Raiders have lost four straight games against the Chiefs and would love to ruin their plans of getting a first-round playoff bye week.
Las Vegas played the Chiefs tough earlier in the season in Kansas City. The Raiders held a 17-0 lead in the second quarter before allowing the rival to come back. The team had a chance to win at the end but the Chiefs held on to win 30-29. Now the Raiders will be in their home and should have a healthy Darren Waller, who had to leave the first matchup early with a hurt hamstring. Jarrett Stidham looked great against the 49ers and looking great again against the Chiefs would certainly help his chances of earning a starting job next season.
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