Heading into the 2019 season, the Raiders had a lot of uncertainly surrounding their offense. They were relying on an unproven Darren Waller to replace Jared Cook and a rookie runner in Josh Jacobs to become the team’s workhorse back.
For the most part, the offense performed better than expected as Waller and Jacobs became studs at their respective positions. Hunter Renfrow played well in the slot, but their outside wide receiver position was still a major problem.
After missing on Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown in back-to-back offseasons, the Raiders decided to use the NFL Draft to upgrade their wide receiver corps. The team used three of their first four picks on offensive playmakers to help out Derek Carr. But was that enough to improve their offensive weapons?
In a recent article by ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, he ranked all 32 teams by their offensive weapons heading into the 2020 season. The Raiders came in at No. 24 despite all of their investments this offseason. Here is a snippet of Barnwell’s thoughts on the Raiders’ offense this year:
Vegas is 24th because of what lies between those two groups. Wideout was a mess, with Antonio Brown forcing his way off the team and Tyrell Williams failing to live up to expectations thanks to a toe injury. (It should be noted that Williams’ season was almost a carbon copy of his final year with the Chargers.) Fifth-round pick Hunter Renfrow unsurprisingly emerged as a slot option, but the Raiders will be counting on rookies Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards to push for starting roles immediately.
While it’s fair to be pessimistic about how well the young receivers will perform this season, having stars like Waller and Jacobs should bump them higher up this list. They also have a lot of depth on offense as Jalen Richard, Foster Moreau, Jason Witten and Hunter Renfrow have all proven to be quality complementary players in their given roles.
If Ruggs or Edwards can develop into a quality outside receiver, this team has the potential to be one of the best offenses in the NFL. And considering the continuity on the offensive line, it wouldn’t be a shock if this team finished inside of the top-10 in points per game. Look for the Raiders’ weapons to significantly outproduce this ranking in 2020.
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