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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — Three-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams was more teacher than student during the Las Vegas Raiders‘ recently concluded offseason program.
Jakobi Meyers, meanwhile, took on the look of a No. 1 wideout, catching just about everything thrown his way. That included a lot of wayward and wobbly balls as the quarterback competition between second-year QB Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew continued with no clear-cut favorite.
Second-year slot receiver Tre Tucker perhaps had the most eye-opening run, solidifying his hold not only on a roster spot but also on a more multidimensional role beyond speed. But yes, he’s still fast.
Welcome then, to the Raiders’ Big 3 in the receiver room, a unit still trying to figure out its identity, albeit three months before the season kicks off. Las Vegas is in the throes of not only installing a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy with every player, sans Adams, a newbie to the system, but embroiled in the aforementioned battle under center.
So, how good can this offense be with the receivers leading the way?
“I mean, you stop talking about potential when you’re like 10 years old,” Adams said. “So, at the end of the day, it don’t really matter how good we can be.
“I definitely wouldn’t want to put any expectations on anybody, but it’s no secret we’ve got some dangerous weapons on the team as a whole, not to mention offense.”
The Raiders hope to improve upon having the NFL’s No. 23 passing offense last season (Getsy authored the No. 27 passing attack as the Chicago Bears O.C.), when Adams led Las Vegas in receptions (103), receiving yards (1,144) and tied Meyers for the lead in touchdown catches (8). Still, Adams’ 11.1 yards per catch average was the second-lowest of his 10-year career, and the eight scores were the second-fewest he’s had in a season in which he’s played at least 16 games.
Instability at quarterback in moving from Derek Carr and Jarrett Stidham in 2022 to Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and O’Connell last season may have had something to do with it.
Still, Meyers has steadily improved when it comes to reaching the end zone. He went from 2 touchdowns with the New England Patriots in 2021 and 6 scores in 2022 to 8 touchdowns with the Raiders last season. Even as Meyers, who caught 71 passes for 807 yards last season, has never had more than 83 receptions or 866 receiving yards in his five-year career.
“When you say I need a dog, Jakobi is that dog,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “Jakobi is an alpha. Jakobi is fearless. Jakobi works probably as hard as any player on our team.
“You saw this last year — his commitment in the run game speaks volumes because he could be easily a 100-reception, 1,000-yard receiver. But it’s all those other things — it’s those crack-back blocks, it’s those hits on the D-end, the linebacker, getting his nose bloody, rolling up his sleeves, flexing on guys, setting the tone.”
Not that the soft-spoken Meyers is about to puff out his chest and announce a goal of again improving upon his TD mark, let alone aim for his first 1,000-yard season.
“I don’t care if I do or don’t, honestly,” he shrugged. “I just like playing football, for real, so whatever they say, they say. I’m going to be out there playing regardless.
So much depends upon who is throwing the ball — O’Connell or Minshew? Minshew or O’Connell?
The way Tucker performed this offseason, it didn’t really matter who was under center. He was blowing by poor defensive backs, stopping on a dime to run comebacks and outs and hauling in passes from backups Anthony Brown, Jr. and Carter Bradley, too.
Indeed, Tucker did not look like the diminutive third-round pick from Cincinnati who averaged a team-high 17.4 yards per catch in going for 331 yards on 19 receptions with 2 touchdowns as a rookie. Plus, the drops that often showed up last year were practically non-existent this spring. It’s a small sample size, but a big step for a young pass catcher.
“Tre Tucker, different dude,” Pierce said of the 5-feet-9, 185-pounder with 4.40 40-speed.
“Looks different. Acts different. Runs different. Catches the ball different. Don’t look at the size; don’t mention that. Watch him play. He’s the biggest guy out there.”
The Raiders ended last season with six receivers on their roster — Adams, Meyers, Hunter Renfrow, Tucker, DJ Turner and DeAndre Carter.
Renfrow, a former Pro Bowler who caught 103 of his career 269 passes in 2001, was released and Carter was allowed to walk in free agency as he signed with the Bears.
Las Vegas still has Turner and former practice squad player Kristian Wilkerson, who was targeted often in OTAs and minicamp, and the Raiders also signed six-year veteran Michael Gallup, who has 266 career catches for 3,744 yards and 21 TDs with the Dallas Cowboys, and five-year veteran Jalen Guyton, who had 71 catches for 1,112 yards and 7 scores with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Alex Bachman, who has four games of NFL experience with the New York Giants, was signed May 22 and he also flashed in minicamp while undrafted rookies Jeff Foreman, Tulu Griffin and Ramel Keyton, along with Tyreik McAllister, round out the room.
But of course, the Raiders’ receiver fortunes begin with Adams, who had Getsy as his position coach with the Green Bay Packers, hence his heightened mentor role during the offensive installation.
“The more we get around each other, the more comfortable we are,” Adams said. “We have a pretty cohesive unit right now, and it makes coming out here a lot more fun, makes it easier.
“And we spend a lot of time together outside of the facility, too, which is what really makes this thing fully special when you have that type of bond and that type of connection with one another. So it’s just going to continue to grow.”
Source: www.espn.com