Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller recently commented that the Raiders having a top-five offense “is not out of the picture.” That being said, Waller must recognize the depth the Raiders offense possesses. Unfortunately, depth also can bring roster changes. While players may enter training camp rostered as a starter, they may battle for their spots.
Lost Snaps
One player at risk of losing a starting position is Tyrell Williams. Williams started his Raiders career by scoring a touchdown in each of his first five games with the team. The skills and talent are certainly present for the former Charger, but questions of his health constantly swirled. Despite only missing two games last season, Williams played in far more than two of his games. The other threat to Williams’ starting role is former South Carolina Gamecock Bryan Edwards. The Raiders gave a first-round grade on Bryan Edwards.
Matchup
Williams and Edwards both come in at 6’3”, but Edwards has 15 pounds on Williams. Williams might be a pinch faster than Edwards, but Edwards already has impressive highlight catches and plays from college that we have yet to see from Williams.
Wildcard RB
Another player potentially approaching replacement is Devontae Booker. Despite joining the team this preseason, Booker will compete for a spot. While the starting spot is almost certainly locked down by Josh Jacobs, the role of the Raiders pass-catching back appears open. If Bowden does not earn the job, there will still certainly be roles for him to fill, but Booker and Richard need this role to remain. Like Richard, Booker has proven his talent, but the roles of both players will come down to Bowden’s ability out of the gate.
With the way Bowden catches eyes, it would be surprising to see him lower than the first backup. If anything, Bowden certainly has the talent to stake his claim to a share of some of Jacobs’ snaps.
Tight Situation
Darren Waller locked Raiders’ starting tight end position locked down. However, the team uses multiple tight ends. While both Foster Moreau and Derek Carrier have both impressed, expect Moreau to begin solidifying the second tight end spot. While it would be interesting to watch Jason Witten attempt to thrive after a year off from the game, he’ll operate as a mentor.
