One player won’t get his opportunity to step foot on his new home field in Allegiant Stadium. The Las Vegas Raiders placed wide receiver Tyrell Williams on the injured reserve list, ending his sixth season Tuesday afternoon before it began. This decision came after Williams recently suffered a torn labrum on his right shoulder.
Tyrell Williams Placed on Season-Ending Injured Reserve
According to ESPN, Williams originally planned to play through the injury, but will now have surgery later this month. The Western Oregon product entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers and played four seasons in the blue and gold. He signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Raiders during last year’s offseason and got off to a hot start. Williams began his time in the silver and black scoring a touchdown in each of his first five games. However, Williams began to suffer from plantar fasciitis on both feet, significantly slowing him down and affecting his route running. He only missed two games but finished 2019 with only 42 catches for 651 yards and six touchdowns.
What’s Next for the Raiders
His injury impacts the Raiders’ wide receiving core, an area that has been a struggle for the last few seasons. In 2019, the Raiders were ranked 20th in touchdowns and in the top half in other major receiving categories, but have not found a number one go-to receiver.
No Williams may be a scare due to a lack of experience in their receiving core. However, Williams’s injury could be a silver lining for Raider Nation. The injury means that first-round pick Henry Ruggs III and third-rounder Bryan Edwards would get more snaps. Hunter Renfrow will now also see more snaps and take over as the full time slot receiver. He showed several flashes last season, especially on third down. Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones will also get some additional playing time.
Losing Williams will show the Raiders’ weaknesses on the receiving end at first, but this is not the first year without him. Williams lost his speed from his plantar fasciitis, so Derek Carr was primarily throwing to his rookie receivers anyways. With Williams out for the season, tight ends Darren Waller and Foster Moreau will see more targets this season, especially in the red zone.
The Raiders are scheduled to kick off their schedule on September 13th on the road against the Carolina Panthers at 10:00 AM PT.
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