Recently, I put together several short free agent ‘wish lists’ for the Raiders at positions of need. The most glaring of those needs is wide receiver and on that shortlist was one Robby Anderson. Well, Pro Football Focus and I are actually on the same page with this one.
PFF has Las Vegas as the most likely landing spot for Anderson, who they have as their 18th ranked free agent this offseason. The site believes he should command about $13 million per season and they have the Raiders signing him to a four-year deal. Take a look at their thoughts on a potential fit between Anderson and the Raiders:
Robby Anderson is the breakout player we have all been waiting for over the last few seasons. He’s a high-risk, high-reward free agent, never producing a PFF grade that cracked the top 40 at his position. As a result, it’s hard telling as of now which team is going to risk it for the Robby biscuit in free agency. That being said, the Raiders are an intriguing team that has been linked to Anderson, though the fit is questionable. Jon Gruden runs a West Coast attack that takes few shots downfield and doesn’t integrate as many vertical routes as other offenses, which has been Anderson’s nourishment throughout most of his career.
It’s a bit odd that PFF would predict Anderson to the Raiders and then say “the fit is questionable.” While I agree with Anderson being on the Raiders radar, I disagree with the idea that he is not a fit. Gruden’s offense may not take a lot of shots, but it relies on the ability for a speedy outside receiver threat to open up things underneath. And just when the defense starts to bite on the under, he could beat them deep.
Also consider that we don’t really know if Gruden’s offense may have evolved since he last coached nearly a decade prior because he simply hasn’t had a deep threat, downfield weapon to utilize. He traded to acquire Antonio Brown, but that failed catastrophically. He also hoped JJ Nelson could be the deep threat and that wasn’t to be either. Anderson could be that guy.
Oh, and here is that short Raiders wish list of wide receivers on the market.
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