Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Ramel Keyton.
The Las Vegas Raiders‘ wide receiver room has left a lot to be desired this season. Only two wide receivers have over 20 catches on the season so far and tight end Brock Bowers leads the team in receptions.
Considering the Raiders are 2-6 and likely out of the playoff race, it’s unlikely they swing a trade to add a notable wide receiver. With the team needing more help at the position, they’ve decided to elevate a young player.
The Raiders announced that they’ve signed rookie wide receiver Ramel Keyton to the active roster. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Keyton is getting a two-year contract.
The fact that Las Vegas gave Keyton two years is a good sign they might like his potential. The former Tennessee standout signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in the offseason but has been on the practice squad for much of the season.
With this news, he’ll likely start to see his role on the offense expand. Right now, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker are the only wide receivers making an impact so there’s plenty of opportunity for Keyton to prove that he belongs.
Luke Getsy Talks Avoiding Simple Mistakes
The Raiders have lost a few winnable games this season and that has been in large part due to the team making simple mistakes on offense. There have been many untimely penalties, avoidable turnovers and just poor play all around.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy recently discussed what has been ailing the Raiders offense.
“It’s all of us, right?” Getsy said during a recent press conference. “It’s a team effort, and I really believe that. And I think the inconsistencies are dissipating. … I think every week it gets a little bit better and better. I think the mindset, the understanding of what the objective is, is getting clearer each and every week. … You keep making sure you’re driving the objective of making sure all 11 on the field are on the same page all the time, and that’s really the answer.”
The Raiders don’t have the talent on offense to be making this many mistakes. If they could limit the mistakes, it’d be a lot easier to score points.
Antonio Pierce Still Committed to the Run
A major reason for the Raiders’ struggles on offense is that they can’t run the ball. The team has the 31st-ranked rushing offense in the NFL right now and it hasn’t been improving as the season goes on.
Despite that, head coach Antonio Pierce still doesn’t want to rely on the passing game too much.
“We’ve got to run the ball,” Pierce said during his October 30 press conference. “We can’t sit there and throw the ball 50 times or 40 times. We haven’t been successful doing that. So we’ll keep pounding.”
The Raiders haven’t been a good team this season and Pierce is trying to hold them together. He remains positive despite the hardship.
“There was no pointing fingers,” Pierce said. “We’ve got to do this for another nine weeks. That’s what we signed up for. It’s not easy. It’s tough. We don’t like it. We wish it was easier. … But we’re still searching for the answers. That’s our job.”
