The Las Vegas Raiders hope their wide receiver production this season will be a group effort.
There is no superstar monster target or clear-cut No. 1 option, unless the conversation is expanded to include tight end Brock Bowers.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“I think we have a lot of talented guys, and I also think we want to move guys around,” quarterback Aidan O’Connell said. “I think the guys that we do have, have different skill sets that they’re able to do different things. So, when you have that, you can move them around. You can ask them to do different things, and not just play in one position the whole time. I think coaches are doing a good job of mixing guys up and seeing what they can do.”
If done correctly, that can put a great deal of strain on defenses that have to gameplan without knowing which receiver to focus defensive attention on each week.
The offense of coach Klint Kubiak and coordinator Andrew Janocko is one that should be able to exploit such a situation.
Janocko has been pleased with how some of the receivers have been able to learn multiple roles and help make themselves interchangeable.
“I think there’s a lot of guys that are vying for spots to help us compete, help us win, and I’m excited to watch that competition unfold,” he said. “Those guys come each day, they’re very intentional with what they do, very deliberate. (Wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni) does a great job of putting those guys in roles to develop, to be successful, asking them to do different things so we can develop their specific skills.”
It’s part of the identity Kubiak is trying to establish for the entire team.
“The guys that like aren’t an established guy, which is probably 90% of the team, in order for them to make the roster it’s special teams and playing multiple positions,” he said. “Receivers that can play all three spots, fullbacks that can play tight end and vice versa, (defensive backs) that can play corner, nickel and safety. That’s how you make the roster in the NFL.”
Not that there isn’t some standout talent in the receiver room.
It’s just a balanced group that brings a diverse skillset.
Tre Tucker is the most established of the group, coming off a season in which he had 57 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns for the Raiders.
While he’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-8, he is playing mostly on the outside and has been quite productive the first few days of training camp as he looks to establish himself as potentially the top option once again.
Still, he understands the benefit of the collective.
“I think for us, our offense is so multiple that right now you’re just seeing guys everywhere,” he said. “And I think that’s for a reason because I don’t think really anywhere you just have a guy that does one thing. You want to be able to have multiple guys that can do multiple things. So, that’s what they’re trying to figure out, giving everybody an opportunity to show how much they can do. And that’ll help us come the regular season.”
The hope for the Raiders is that Jalen Nailor, who had 10 touchdowns on just 57 catches the last two seasons in Minnesota, will also be more productive in this system and away from superstars Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Then there are the 2025 draft picks, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr., who the Raiders hope to get more out of in their second seasons.
Dareke Young was mostly a special teams player for the Seahawks, but Kubiak brought him to the Raiders with the belief he has more to give on offense.
Tucker is among those singing the praises of Malik Benson, the sixth-round pick out of Oregon who has looked very smooth the first few days of training camp in making some big plays.
“I’m very excited for him, and I think he’s going to be a very big part of us this year, too,” Tucker said. “The biggest thing you want to see from a young guy is that they want to get better. They’re not going through the motions. And (Benson) comes in every single day and wants to get better and he is getting better every play, every rep. And he can run all day. That’s something that I tell him that makes you super here in a way because if you can run all day, you can play fast, like there’s a spot for you here.”
Tucker is just fine boosting up his teammates in the room, even if it means less targets for him than the typical No. 1 wideout.
He knows that the numbers will take care of themselves if he does his job.
“We want to be really good as a group,” he said. “What that means is doing our part. Like, we can’t go out there and not block and then expect to catch touchdowns. It just doesn’t work like that. So, it’s the little things for us. Making sure that everyone goes out there and first and foremost they know what to do because that’s the most important thing. You can’t play fast if you don’t. And then just doing your job. It’s that simple. When that happens, good things come to you.
“The ball will find you.”
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
