The Las Vegas Raiders offense has some potential this season, but the passing offense could struggle. The wide receiver room is still a pretty big concern.
The Raiders’ wide receiver room was a mess last season, but they didn’t do much to upgrade it this offseason. The team might have the best tight end duo in the NFL with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, but it would help to have players who can get open on the outside.
Las Vegas is headed in the right direction. There’s a lot to like from what they did this offseason. However, the lack of wide receiver talent could really derail the offense. CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani put together a list of one reason each team in the AFC could disappoint this season. He listed wide receiver as the biggest reason for the Raiders.
“The Las Vegas Raiders had probably the worst wide receiver room in the NFL last year with Tre Tucker and Jack Bech,” Dajani wrote. “To bolster the unit, Vegas added former Minnesota Vikings WR3 Jalen Nailor and drafted Malik Benson in the sixth round.
“Tight end Brock Bowers is going to be the star of this passing attack, but Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza don’t appear to have any big playmakers out wide.”
Raiders Could Have Worst WR Room
It’s hard to feel too excited about anybody in the Raiders’ wide receiver room. There isn’t one clear breakout candidate.
Tre Tucker is a good player, but might be a No. 3 receiver on most NFL teams. Jack Bech is a former second-round pick, but he hasn’t shown enough to believe he can be an impact player. The Athletic’s Mike Sando polled executives around the league to rank the teams in the AFC. The Raiders came in at No. 12, and a big reason for the low rating was the wide receiver room.
“(Klint) Kubiak maximized Sam Darnold and found a way to feed JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) in Seattle, and his offense started out hot in Derek Carr’s final year with New Orleans,” an exec told The Athletic. “But Kirk is immobile, (Ashton) Jeanty is starting off injured and it’s such a top-heavy offensive roster. It is Jeanty, (Brock) Bowers and then probably the worst receiver room in the league along with Miami.”
Can Tucker Be a No. 1 WR?
Tucker had a career-high 696 receiving yards last season, and he was the No. 1 option after Jakobi Meyers got traded. He’s clearly a good player, but being a No. 1 wide receiver in Week 1 is a different beast.
Tucker is really fast, but his hands have been an issue in the past, and he’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-8. One executive is buying that having Tucker as a No. 1 wide receiver is a recipe for success.
“If you are scheming up stuff for Tre Tucker as your 1, yikes,” the exec told The Athletic. “I like Jalen Nailor as an add, but what was he, a third at best in Minnesota? Kubiak is definitely going to have his offensive guru-ness tested.”
Raiders Hit With Blunt Warning Regarding WR Corps