Sitting at 2-6 heading into their Week 10 matchup against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, the Las Vegas Raiders have realized it’s time to start thinking about building for the future. The
Raiders traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, signalling that a youth movement is on the horizon in the desert.
Sending Meyers to the Jacksonville Jaguars likely means rookie wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. will take on bigger roles for the rest of the season. Bech has notably been behind Meyers on the Raiders’ depth chart for the entire year, while Thornton has been in and out of the starting lineup. However, there’s one factor that could throw a wrench into the youth movement out wide for Las Vegas: Tyler Lockett.
The Silver and Black signed the 33-year-old free agent last week after he was released by the Tennessee Titans. Lockett played in 19 snaps last week, 14 out wide and five in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, while Bech was restricted to special teams duties and Thornton was a healthy scratch.
However, despite the playing time, the experienced receiver was unproductive, drawing just one target and making no catches on the afternoon. He was wide open on the two-point attempt that would have won the game had Geno Smith’s pass not gotten batted at the line of scrimmage, but that was the result of a coverage break by the Jaguars.
So, it’s worth monitoring the Raiders’ wide receiver rotation behind Tre Tucker on Thursday night. Bech and Thornton should get more reps without having Meyers in the mix, but a case could be made that Lockett is the one who actually sees the field more. Also, it will be interesting to see if the rookies or the well-tenured veteran can be productive with increased opportunities.
Given all of this, we’ll be keeping tabs on the Raiders’ wide receivers and their production for this week’s gameday topic on The FEED. The game kicks off at 5:15 p.m. PST and will air on Amazon Prime (subscription required). I look forward to talkin’ some ball with y’all!
