It hasn’t been a good season for the Las Vegas Raiders‘ wide receivers, and Week 8 was their worst game of the season. Despite scoring 38 points against the New York Jets, Jalen Nailor was the only wide receiver on the roster to record a catch.
Tre Tucker was the only other wide receiver to even get a target. The offense is running through tight ends and running backs right now.
One of the only wide receivers to make plays for the Raiders this season has been Cody White. He had three touchdowns through the first three games, but hasn’t had more than one catch in any of the last three games.
Even with that fact in mind, he still has the third-most receiving yards by a wide receiver on the roster. Nailor only has one more receiving yard than him.
That doesn’t appear to matter to the Raiders. The team has decided to release White from the active roster to make room to activate tight end Carter Runyon.
If White can clear waivers, there’s little doubt that the Raiders would want to bring him back on the practice squad. They aren’t exactly swimming in wide receiver talent right now. The team just has to hope other wide receivers can finally step up.
Could Be Good News for Dont’e Thornton Jr.
After holding off on the decision as long as possible, the Raiders finally activated second-year wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. to the active roster after he started the year on Injured Reserve.
However, the Raiders still weren’t quite ready to play him yet, as he was inactive against the Jets. He’s healthy right now, but head coach Klint Kubiak has made it clear that Thornton isn’t going to play until he can take away a spot on the depth chart from another player.
It appears that White may have been that player. Thornton hasn’t done much yet, but he’s 6-foot-5 and runs a 4.30-second 40-yard dash. The Raiders don’t have any other targets with that size and speed. Now that White is off the roster, it would be a surprise if Thornton couldn’t get active for the Week 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers.
White Is a Team Player If He Decides to Return
White was a key contributor earlier in the season, so it has to sting to lose his active roster spot. However, he previously said that he’s willing to be a team player no matter how the Raiders decide to use him.
“I prepare like I’m going to start and do everything the same no matter if I’m on a practice squad, active roster, no matter what my situation,” White said earlier in the season, per The Athletic. “I approach football the exact same way every week and just try to stick to that so that when the opportunity does come, I’m ready.”
White’s not a bad player to have in the building, but with limited upside, it’s easy to see why the Raiders decided against keeping him on the active roster.
Raiders Release WR Who Has Been Key Contributor