With just a month until free agency opens, we check in on the Raiders wide receiver position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow
Backups: Zay Jones, Marcell Ateman, Keelan Doss, Rico Gafford, Anthony Ratliff-Williams
Free agents: Dwayne Harris
Technically, Renfrow is the team’s slot receiver, so he doesn’t always start. And when it does, it’s as the third receiver. The problem is this team doesn’t have two starting outside receivers.
Williams may well be able to handle being one of two starters on this team, but we don’t really know yet. He was a disappointment in his first season with the team, but he also dealt with a plantar fascia injury all season. His 651 yards and 6 touchdowns led all wide receivers on the team.
Renfrow led all wide receivers with 49 receptions, including finishing the season with his first and second ever 100-yard games.
Jones was a midseason trade acquisition who yielded just 20 catches for 147 yards in ten games. Ateman and Doss didn’t hit 20 catches combined. Rico Gafford was called up from the practice squad late in the season. He has a lot of speed and with that comes promise he can be a deep threat. Ratliff-Williams was an offseason reserve-future signing.
Condition: Critical
After Williams and Renfrow, there is nothing but questions. Some of them we know the answer and it isn’t positive. The Raiders need a speedy number one receiver in the worst way. They could use a few receiver additions, actually. They need to come at this position in free agency and the draft. We were in this same spot last offseason and the position was a revolving door of failed acquisitions leading us right back to this point again.
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