On Monday, it was reported that starting wide receiver Tyrell Williams has a torn labrum and will try to play through the injury this season. However, the plan is to rest him for the remainder of camp, hoping that he is ready for the start of the season.
How will that impact the rest of the Raiders’ offense in camp and during the regular season if Williams isn’t ready? The expectation is that third-round rookie Bryan Edwards will get an even bigger role in the offense, likely starting at the “X” receiver spot for the foreseeable future, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic. Here is what he had to say about Edwards in his more recent article:
“Now that he’s injured, there’s a real chance that Edwards could prove worthy of starting throughout the remainder of camp. Edwards has been my most impressive rookie so far and will now receive even more reps at the “X” spot.”
After missing all of the pre-draft process and most of the offseason, Edwards has become one of the biggest stars of Raiders’ camp. Even before Williams’ injury, there was a chance that he would have cut into the veteran’s snaps at some point this season. Now, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Edwards opened the season as a starter and never relinquished that job.
The Raiders are going to be extremely young at receiver this season, with Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow and Edwards likely seeing the most snaps, assuming Williams doesn’t come back anytime soon. There will undoubtedly be a lot of growing pains in the unit, but there is also a lot of excitement too. Look for Edwards to see significant snaps as a rookie this year.
[vertical-gallery id=72662]
[lawrence-newsletter]