While wide receiver Antonio Brown is the biggest and best acquisition for the Raiders, Tyrell Williams isn’t far behind. The former division rival brings a rare combination of speed and size that Oakland hasn’t seen in some time.
What does Raiders WR Tyrell Williams bring to the table?
Especially after trading Amari Cooper, the Raiders have lacked a true deep threat at wide receiver. While Johnny Holton showed some big play ability, he is a bit of a one-trick-pony and his inabilities as a route runner dampened his impact because defenses knew when Holton is in the game, he’s going deep. What makes Williams a unique weapon for quarterback Derek Carr and the Oakland offense is his combination of route running and speed.
Unlike Holton, Williams is able to run a full route tree. Combining this ability with his 4.42 second 40-yard dash, is what makes the former Chargers receiver such a special talent. Since he is such a good route runner, teams have to honor and respect him on intermediate routes, so other teams cannot give him a large cushion in coverage. On the other side of that, his speed forces teams to respect him as a deep threat. This puts defenses in a bind, forcing them to “pick their poison,” if you will.
Over his career, Williams has proved to be an effective deep threat and has averaged 16.3 yards per catch. Carr and the Raiders offense were lacking a target like him a year ago. The team’s two best wide receivers were Jordy Nelson and Seth Roberts. The former averaged 14 yards per catch in his career and the later averages 11.6 yards per catch. Williams should help Carr show off some of the arm strength the quarterback possesses.
Click the link below to hear Moe Moton and the Fly Sweep crew talk more about what Tyrell Williams brings to the table, discuss who’s feeling more pressure between Tom Cable and Brenston Buckner and who will have the most sacks! Feel free to share your thoughts as well!