Nelson Agholor, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
Here me out for a second.
It is easy to point to Nelson Agholor’s struggles with ball security and numerous drops – which made him by association quite the internet meme a season ago – and argue that even if he were paying the Raiders to play, it was still a bad deal for the franchise.
But the Raiders signed him to a one-year, $1.0475 million deal, which includes just $910,000 in base salary. That is actually the minimum wage for players with five years of experience under the new CBA. They signed him for basically the cheapest deal possible.
Now yes, Agholor had struggles last year. But if you go back to the year the Philadelphia Eagles made their run to the Super Bowl, Agholor was a critical part of that offense. In 2017 saw 95 targets with 62 receptions for 768 yards (averaging 12.4 yards per reception) for eight touchdowns and 35 first downs. He actually topped some of those numbers in 2018, catching 64 passes on 97 targets for fourth touchdowns.
This example of Agholor on a slant route highlights what he can bring to the Raiders:
Nelson Agholor at his best. Good route running, gets open and uses his speed to get in the end zone. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/ZrWzQJTch4
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 16, 2017
His struggles a season ago made him expendable in Philadelphia, even with their own WR foibles. But in Las Vegas he will be a great schematic fit, as his issues have never been with route-running, and he can serve as a solid slot receiver along with Hunter Renfrow. Given the minimal cost, even if he produces just on par with what he put on the field last year, it will be a steal for the Raiders.
Bulaga | Sanders | Clinton-Dix | Ebron | Butler | Littleton | Joseph | Agholor | Ebner | Harris | Hargrave