Getty Former Las Vegas Raiders WR Keelan Doss.
For a brief moment in time, Keelan Doss looked like a future stud for the Las Vegas Raiders. He was one of the team’s most impressive players during the 2019 preseason and became a fan favorite due to his ties to Oakland. He got a chance during his rookie season but couldn’t make the most of it. He only caught 11 passes for 133 yards in eight games.
Doss spent most of last season on the Raiders’ practice squad and was brought back after the season. He ended up being part of the team’s final roster cuts. Instead of running it back on Las Vegas’ practice squad again, the wide receiver is headed to a new home. The Atlanta Falcons announced that they’ve signed Doss to their practice squad.
We have signed OLB James Vaughters and WR Keelan Doss to our practice squad.
We have released RB D’Onta Foreman from our practice squad.
At this point, a fresh start was best for Doss. He spent three years with the Raiders and it didn’t look like things were going anywhere. He does have talent, he’s just had a hard time translating it into regular-season games. He’ll have to make the most of the limited opportunities he’ll have in Atlanta.
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Raiders Very Young at Wide Receiver
While Doss was a young talent, the Raiders have plenty of young wide receivers right now. Henry Ruggs, Bryan Edwards and Hunter Renfrow figure to the team’s top wide receiver this year. Renfrow is the oldest of the group at 25-years old.
Las Vegas has decided to embrace youth at the position and that was evident by the fact that they let John Brown go during roster cuts. Willie Snead is the elder statesman of the group at 28-years-old so it’s going to be a very young group this season. The Raiders tried to rely on youth last season and it had mixed results. The hope will be that Edwards and Ruggs are much better than they were as rookies.
Darren Waller Is Raiders’ Top Receiver
Though he’s not a wide receiver, tight end Darren Waller will be the focal point of the Raiders’ passing game this season. He had 107 catches last season, which easily led the team. At this point, it’s safe to say that he is a top-three tight end in the NFL.
While the Raiders would love to see Ruggs and Edwards put up more stats this season, Waller is Derek Carr’s primary target. He’s simply too good at what he does for the team not to get him the ball. Fans would love to see Ruggs or Edwards tp get over 1,000 receiving yards this season but that will be difficult with Waller seeing so many targets. However, the team does need the young wide receivers to have an impact. Waller can’t do everything and having multiple dynamic threats would do wonders for the Raiders offense. An impactful Ruggs and Edwards will only make things easier for the star tight end. Wide receiver was the offense’s only weakness last season but should be improved in 2021.
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