The Raiders are relying on their offensive weapons to carry that unit this season amid their quarterback problems. The hope is that the weapons are so good that they can elevate whoever is behind center. But are those weapons a tad overrated?
In a recent article by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, he ranked all 32 teams skill players heading into the season from 1-32. The Raiders ended up surprisingly low on this list, coming in at No. 23. That is down 12 spots from their 2023 ranking and 21 spots from 2022. Here is a snippet of what Barnwell had to say about the unit going into the year:
Jakobi Meyers came over from the Patriots and essentially emulated his prior performance with New England, which is just fine for a WR2, but there are questions elsewhere. Josh Jacobs wasn’t good before getting hurt a year ago — he exited for Green Bay in free agency — and the running back depth chart is as thin as any in the league with Zamir White and Alexander Mattison leading the way.
I’m excited about 13th overall pick Brock Bowers’ potential as a potentially elite pass catcher, but tight ends rarely break out in their rookie campaigns, even eventual stars. Michael Mayer was anonymous as a rookie — he caught 27 passes and had two touchdowns — but if he and Tre Tucker can take a step forward in Year 2, Las Vegas might have something to build around after Adams leaves.
Barnwell also mentioned the possibility of a decline in the play of Davante Adams, who saw his numbers drop in 2023. Most of that had to do with subpar quarterback play, but there is a chance that Adams could start to fall off as he enters his age-32 season.
The Raiders certainly have talent at wide receiver and tight end, but they need some of their young players to stand out and perform this year. That includes Bowers and Mayer, who will be sharing the field together this season. If they can mesh well together, they should drastically outperform this ranking.
