From a personnel standpoint, no team has been busier overhauling a roster than the Raiders over the past month.
As expected, the position that Jon Gruden has focused on most has been his beloved wide receiver group. The addition of Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams means Derek Carr will be starting from scratch with two new full-time starters, but also gives Carr one of the best 1-2 tandems in the league.
The odd man out this year was obviously Jordy Nelson, who was released and then retired this week. And that means Seth Roberts, for now at least, remains firmly in the mix to be around in 2019. Roberts is due to count $4.65 million against the cap, but according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, a lot of people in the Raiders’ building believe Roberts won’t be going anywhere next year.
Roberts has drawn criticism for drops and costly penalties, but there’s no question he has earned Carr’s trust over his career. In his fifth year, Roberts quietly had personal bests with 45 receptions and 494 receiving yards and he has always had a knack for making big plays in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Safe to say, behind Brown and Williams, Roberts is easily the most reliable receiver on the Raiders roster – and Gruden certainly values depth at the position. Unless his hefty contract gets in the way or the Raiders draft a no. 3 receiver (very possible), it sure seems like Roberts has the inside track to be back in black for another year.
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