Getty Darren Waller with Bryan Edwards.
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ wide receiver corps has brought in many new faces this offseason. Davante Adams is the headliner of the group but the team has also added players like Mack Hollins, Dermacus Robinson, Keelan Cole and more. As the team added more wide receivers, it was clear that some returning players could be on the move.
While there was a lot of hype surrounding Bryan Edwards coming out of South Carolina, the Raiders ended up deciding to trade him to the Atlanta Falcons. He was coming off a solid sophomore season in Las Vegas that saw him accumulate 571 receiving yards, which was a big improvement over the 193 he had as a rookie. What worked against him is that he was a favorite of the previous coaching staff but didn’t have the same relationship with new head coach Josh McDaniels.
Tight end Darren Waller, who is working with Icy Hot to help introduce their new PRO line, spoke to Heavy.com about the Edwards trade and believes that the wide receiver is barely scratching the surface.
“I really like Bryan a lot just as a human being and as a football player,” Waller said of Edwards. “Contested catchability is elite, and I feel like he can only continue to grow as a player as he gets more and more opportunities – you see it in the games where he got opportunities. A change of scenery – it can be one of the best things that can ever happen to you. It’s not necessarily about what happens along the journey, it’s more so about your response to what happens. And I feel like he’s somebody that is mentally and physically capable of responding in a big way, and I’m excited to follow his career and see how it unfolds because I think great things are in store for him.”
Spoke to @Rackkwall83 yesterday about @icyhot & a bunch of Raiders topics, including the recent @B__ED89 trade. He’s still very high on the young WR.
“A change of scenery – it can be one of the best things that can ever happen to you”
Will have the rest of the convo out soon.
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Edwards Sends Love to Las Vegas
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Expectations were as high as they could be for a third-round pick. A reason he fell in the draft was due to injury concerns but many saw him as a first-round talent. Former head coach Jon Gruden went so far as to compare him to Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. Naturally, fans were really excited to see what he could do.
Edwards was never able to fully live up to the hype but did play well last season. He had 126 receiving yards in overtime last season, which most a player has had since at least 1991, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
Bryan Edwards’ 126 yards receiving in OT last season for #Raiders were the most in 1 season for any player since at least 1991.
Edwards stepped up in the clutch when the Raiders needed him most. While he’s now heading back to the South, the wide receiver made sure to show love to the city of Las Vegas.
Much love LV ✌️
What’s Ahead for Edwards
Waller saw Edwards in practice every day so the fact that he’s still so high on the wide receiver speaks volumes. Edwards is joining the Falcons, who just added another big wide receiver in Drake London. The two will form a massive duo.
It remains to be seen if Atlanta and head coach Arthur Smith have big plans for him. The coach likes to have size at wide receiver so he has to be thrilled he got Edwards for a late-round pick swap. Plus, he’ll be reuniting with quarterback Marcus Mariota, who he just spent two seasons with on the Raiders.
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