With The First Pick
Fansided

4 Raiders veterans on the roster bubble after 2020 NFL Draft

By Timothy Rodriguez

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders discusses a penalty with a referee during a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders discusses a penalty with a referee during a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 24: Wide Receiver Zay Jones #12 of the Oakland Raiders enters the field against the New York Jets in the first half in the rain at MetLife Stadium on November 24, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images).
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 24: Wide Receiver Zay Jones #12 of the Oakland Raiders enters the field against the New York Jets in the first half in the rain at MetLife Stadium on November 24, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images). /

WR Zay Jones

The biggest thing the Raiders set out to improve this off-season was the wide receiver room. Last season was a nightmare for the then Oakland Raiders when it came to receivers. After Antonio Brown forced his way out of Oakland in training camp, the Raiders were left with Tyrell Williams and rookie Hunter Renfrow to compete with teams like the Kansas City Chiefs. Midway through the season, they traded for Bills’ receiver Zay Jones.

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The depleted receiving core left the Raiders with the conundrum. Quarterback Derek Carr refused to throw the ball down the field. His favorite target became Hunter Renfrow, a rookie slot receiver from Clemson. A vast majority of Renfrow’s catches came short of the first down marker. While Carr finished the season with a high completion percentage, the Raiders struggled to pass the ball at times.

In the off-season, the Raiders prioritized getting Carr more weapons. They signed speedy Eagles’ wide-out Nelson Agholor. In round one of the 2020 NFL Draft, they selected the fastest player in the draft, Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs. After that, they brought in Bryan Edwards, a receiver from South Carolina and Lynn Bowden, a dynamic hybrid player from the University of Kentucky.

All of these additions to the receiver room mean that a veteran could see his name on the chopping block. Zay Jones was acquired midseason from Buffalo as he regressed from his breakout season in 2018. In that year, he finished with 652 yards and seven touchdowns. If Jones doesn’t impress coaches in training camp and pre-season, he could find himself on a new team in 2020.

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