The Las Vegas Raiders placed Aidan O'Connell on injured reserve after injuring his thumb against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and signed former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. from their practice squad, as well as tight end Trevon Wesco. The Raiders also signed QB Desmond Ridder from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.
Marshall, a 2021 second-round pick of the Carolina Panthers, was waived by the team on the final roster cut-down day this offseason. He was briefly added to the 49ers' practice squad and later released by San Francisco on October 15.
Raiders' receiving corps dwindling
The top receivers on the Raiders' depth chart are Tre Tucker, Jakobi Meyers and DJ Turner. Tucker caught 19 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns on 34 targets last season, his rookie year.
Meyers was inactive last week due to an ankle injury. Turner, a third-year 27-year-old, has six career receptions. The Raiders have also tried to get Alex Bachman and Kristian Wilkerson more involved.
The 2-5 Raiders are at the bottom of the AFC West divisional standings. Their 183 points allowed is the third worst in the NFL. After trading away WR Davante Adams, the trade rumors continue to swirl about Maxx Crosby.
Can Las Vegas realistically compete with no firm starting quarterback and a set of mostly backup wide receivers? Considering the WR-hungry 49ers moved on from Marshall, it doesn't bode well for his chances with the Raiders either.
The Raiders have $37 million in cap space, the third most in the NFL. If there is someone they really wanted at quarterback or wide receiver, they could realistically make a move for them. However, every big move would come at what cost?
The silver lining for the Raiders, no pun intended, may be the addition of Tom Brady as part of the team's ownership, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
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“One NFC exec told me, via text Monday night, that he expects Brady’s presence will help the franchise with sponsors and season-ticket holders and in recruiting top talent to the organization on every level (including players),” Breer wrote.
“Another NFC exec affirmed that, then added, ‘The most interesting thing to me is if he decides he wants to be involved in the team instead of broadcast… Maybe he gets more joy/juice out of running the Raiders than being on Fox.'
“There’s been a belief internally for a while now that Brady won’t be a silent observer after officially getting his slice of the pie. Whether it happens now or a little further down the line, we’ll find out,” Breer added.
The Raiders would be best served to hunker down and part with veteran assets for future draft picks. The 2024 season is a wash.
