Michael Clemens/Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams (16) on the field for practice at 2020 Training Camp at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, Wednesday, August 12, 2020, in Henderson, Nev.
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The Raiders have invested heavily in receivers in the last two drafts, and it looks like those young pass-catchers will have to show what they’re made of a bit sooner than expected.
Veteran receiver Tyrell Williams has a torn labrum, according to NFL Network, and though he’ll reportedly try to battle through it there’s no doubt the team will lean on its up-and-coming playmakers in 2020.
The Raiders signed Williams as a free agent last offseason after he spent the first four years of his career with the Chargers. The idea was for Williams, a 6-foot-4 speedster, to serve as a placeholder atop the depth chart and provide a veteran presence while Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock worked to rebuild the receiving core from the ground up.
Injury derailed Williams last year, just when it appeared he was on the verge of breaking out as a legit No. 1 receiver. He played at least 90 percent of the offensive snaps in each of the first four games and caught 17 passes for 216 yards and four touchdowns; a bout of plantar fasciitis forced him to miss the next two games, however, and his snap count only tracked above 90 percent in two more contests the rest of the way.
In the 10 games after the foot injury, Williams was limited to 25 catches for 435 yards and two touchdowns.
The Raiders were hoping to get the healthy version of Williams this season, both for his production and for his leadership, but the torn labrum may once again make it difficult for him to shoulder the load of a No. 1 receiver (no pun intended).
With Williams ailing, the young guys should get a chance to step up in 2020. Quarterback Derek Carr is already intimately familiar with Hunter Renfrow, the team’s fifth-round pick in the 2019 draft, as the two connected 49 times for 605 yards and four touchdowns last year, and the reinforcements brought in this offseason have drawn strong reviews so far in training camp.
First-round pick Henry Ruggs (No. 11 overall) has been operating at warp speed and wowing observers with his quickness out of breaks. Ruggs has never been a high-volume pass-catcher, however, as he topped out at 46 catches at Alabama; it seems unlikely he’ll provide much more than that as a rookie adjusting to NFL defenses.
Former South Carolina wideout Bryan Edwards is a physical specimen at 6-foot-3, 212 pounds, and he has used that size impressively in intrasquad workouts. He’s also more of a possession receiver than Ruggs, having hauled in 71 catches as a senior last year, so he could be in line to soak up a fair amount of targets if Williams’ role is diminished.
And while he’s listed as a running back, third-round rookie Lynn Bowden is another name to watch as Las Vegas attempts to put playmakers around Carr in 2020. He lined up at slot receiver, quarterback and running back at Kentucky and was drafted with the idea of getting the ball in his hands in space. Whether he’s running routes out of the backfield or from the slot, Bowden could also be in line for his share of touches.
The Raiders also have some low-risk veteran options in camp in the form of Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones, and both seemed like solid bets to make the roster even before Williams’ injury. Now that there’s a chance Williams could miss time, Agholor and Jones seem like a good safety net to make sure the rest of the receiving corps isn’t made up entirely of first- and second-year prospects.
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
