Free agency opened in 2019 with the Raiders making Tyrell Williams their top priority. The team signed Williams to a four-year, $44 million deal. By the halfway mark of that contract, he will have appeared in 14 games with 42 catches for 651 yards. And he now has no guaranteed money left on his deal after this season.
After an underwhelming first season that was marred by a plantar fascia injury, the team opted to bring him back for the second year of his deal. But a torn labrum has now ended his second season with the team before it began.
They will have another decision to make next offseason at which point they will most likely have moved on. To whom you might ask?
At this juncture, Williams’s role as the team’s X receiver belongs to Bryan Edwards. The rookie third-round pick has seen a good deal of first-team reps in training camp and it only increased after Williams was injured.
It was a daily occurrence that Edwards would make a great grab and in most cases, he looked like a comfortable veteran receiver doing it.
The 6-3, 212-pounder has rare speed and quickness and has a remarkable ability to high-point catches and shield off defenders. His development will be tested early now.
Even as polished as Edwards appears to be, it is a bit concerning that if he were to start, the Raiders would be looking at the possibility of two rookie starters at receiver with top pick Henry Ruggs III at the other starting spot.
The starting slot receiver is second-year man Hunter Renfrow who said himself that he didn’t really catch on in this offense until late last season. Though he said recently that Ruggs and Edwards appear to be well ahead right now from where he was at this point as a rookie.
Other receivers in the mix for considerable playing time include veterans Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones. Agholor was signed this offseason and Jones was acquired midway through last season in a trade with the Bills. So, they are both fairly new to this offense as well.
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