The Las Vegas Raiders came into the offseason needing to upgrade their weapons offensively, specifically, at the wide receiver position. With Henry Ruggs III being released last season because of a fatal drunk driving accident, their offense was thrown for a loop without their downfield threat.
Coupled with Darren Waller’s injury, the Raiders’ offense was put in a tough place. They were able to overcome it, making the postseason as a Wild Card team, but they wanted to ensure that it didn’t happen again.
So, the Raiders got aggressive this offseason to add a wide receiver and came away with the biggest prize in free agency at the position. They acquired Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers, who is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL.
With Adams reuniting with his collegiate teammate in Derek Carr, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the Raiders. They have an offense that should be able to keep up with the high-powered units in the AFC West that the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers are sporting.
However, one NFL scout that talked to NFL Analysis Network believes they shouldn’t be done adding weapons to the offense. The scout would like to see the Raiders add another big-name receiver in Julio Jones.
“The Raiders are going to be tough, no one would likely debate against that. However, if they could find a way to pair Julio Jones with Davante Adams, that would make them almost unstoppable. Can you imagine that offense with a healthy Julio?”
A healthy Jones isn’t something we have seen in a few years. He has missed at least seven games in two consecutive seasons, as 2019 was the last time Jones was healthy and producing.
It would be difficult to predict he would stay healthy, but coming to a team with so many other options to catch the ball could be an ideal way to keep him upright. With Adams, Waller and Hunter Renfrow all excellent in their own right, Jones won’t be relied upon as the star, No. 1 go-to receiver. He would play a complementary role, which could help keep him healthy as his snaps would be able to be scaled back.
Las Vegas will also present Jones a chance to win this season, which is likely high on his priority list as he moves into the twilight of his career. Bringing Jones in wouldn’t be as big of a risk for the Raiders as it would be for some other teams around the league.
