Do the Raiders need help in the wide receiver room before the start of the season?
Even if they do, it probably isn’t coming (at least not this year), but according to reports from the team’s joint practice with the Texans on Tuesday, the wide receivers didn’t have a great day in Houston.
“There wasn’t a whole lot of noise being made by the wide receivers on Tuesday,” Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast on Wednesday.
“[That’s] something that we’ve talked about quite a bit on this show, what about the separation? Are they getting separation from the corners? Based off what we saw on Tuesday, not a whole lot. So that’s something that they definitely have to continue to build on. There was a lot of check downs… in the Raiders arsenal when it came to their offense. But again, you’re going up against a defense that was basically number one in every category. So as much as a lot of people want to panic and say, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re not going to have any kind of success,’ remember, you’re not going against those bloodthirsty pirates every single week.”
Raiders newest WR bring physicality, blocking presence
On Sunday, the Raiders signed Noah Brown and for those who aren’t familiar with the 30-year-old veteran, and Myers said Brown will bring a physical presence to the wide receiver room if nothing else.
“[It’s] interesting that they decided to go out and make a move for wide receiver. The one thing about Noah Brown… he’s six foot two. So he provides a little bit of size where the Raiders don’t necessarily have a bunch of size at the wide receiver position. They’re going to see some size going up against the Houston Texans and some of their wide receivers, so that’ll be something to pay attention to,” Myers said on Monday.
“But also my guy Paul Catalina reached out to me, who covers the Cowboys, been covering the Cowboys for a long time. I used to work with him at ESPN Central Texas back in the day, and he said, the one thing I can tell you about Noah Brown, he’s a very willing blocker. Matter of fact, one of the most willing blockers he’s seen for the wide receiver position. And we know what it takes in this Klint Kubiak led offense… you don’t block, you don’t get the rock.”
Young cornerbacks not exposed to enough physicality in camp?
Prior to signing Brown, the Raiders didn’t have much in the way of a big physical receiver on the roster, and The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen thinks that might have hurt the young cornerbacks a little in training camp.
“Everybody remembers [Jermod] McCoy getting ‘Mossed’ in the redzone, but my theory on what happened was if you think about what the Raiders cornerbacks face every day in practice, there going against Tre Tucker, they’re going against Jalen Nailor, they’re going against Malik Benson. Guys that really aren’t that big,” Nguyen said on the Just Win podcast.
“Then you go against the Arizona Cardinals, they have really big receivers… those guys that win at the catch point. So maybe they weren’t used to it, but they have to be ready for it because you’re going to be facing bigger guys on Sundays. The Raiders have a smaller receiver group. That’s not an excuse, but I think they got a little bit shocked when they went against the Cardinals I think.”
Can Jack Bech bring physicality to the Raiders’ WR room?
Against the Cardinals, Bech proved he can make plays with his hands, but he also made a key block on Mike Washington Jr.’s 53-yard scamper in the preseason opener.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said Thursday was the best Bech has played since he was drafted by the Raiders.
“Jack Bech was excellent. That was the best Jack Bech has played in practice or in games his entire Raider career,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast last week.
Kirk Cousins also added to the Bech praise last week, complementing the second-year wide receiver on his ability to match catches in tight spaces.
“What I’ve noticed of Jack is very strong hands, and as a quarterback, there’s going to be tight coverage in this league, and so you need people who, with someone right on them, can still go grab the football, and that’s what the great receivers I’ve played with have been able to do,” Cousins said of Bech after Thursday’s game.
“Jack has that trait. And he showed it again [against the Cardinals]… He has a play strength that I really like, and it gives me confidence to drill the ball on him, knowing that he can make those plays.”
x: @raidersbeat