On Wednesday, Las Vegas Raiders receiver Tyrell Williams sat down with the press. He detailed the ongoing changes within the receiver corps after an interesting 2019 season.
A healthy Tyrell Williams is feeling good coming into the season
The Raiders envisioned receiver Antonio Brown to headline their wide receiver corps last season. They also projected former Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams to be their secondary receiver. Things changed after an array of issues Brown provoked. Suddenly, Williams found himself as the Silver and Black’s starting receiver to begin a very confusing and painful season.
Speaking to reporters, Williams declared this time off has led to him fully heal from the plantar fasciitis that he suffered for the entirety of the 2019 season.Â
“I feel good coming into this season, compared to how I was feeling last year with my feet and everything. I feel a lot better, feel 100 percent. I’m excited and feel fast, I feel back to myself. I’m glad to feel that way finally and kind of be passed that.”
Raider Nation is hopeful Williams is feeling like his old self again. Williams was left feeling the weight of fans’ expectations on his shoulders. While dealing with the aforementioned injury, Williams was able to start 12 games. He ended up logging six touchdowns with 651 receiving yards in those outings.
Additionally, Williams believes that after a year of building rapport with quarterback Derek Carr, there’s no reason to think they won’t have a more productive season in their second year together.
“We’ve definitely grown. I think he understands how I run routes and I understand what he’s looking for on certain coverages. He just has a better feel of how I move and it’s easier for him, I think that’s the biggest thing. Being a long-striding guy, I’m fast, but I don’t really look too fast, so getting used to that for him is big.”
The Raiders wide receiver corps is suddenly full of talent and depth
Pressure is mounting on the wide receiver corps and Carr after all the additions the Raiders made. Head coach and general manager Mike Mayock have acquired plenty of talent to unlock the quarterback’s full potential. Henry Ruggs III, Bryan Edwards, and Nelson Agholor will join Williams along with Hunter Renfrow. Last season, the unit was a rotating door of high hopes and bitter disappointments. Nevertheless, Williams believes this group is noticeably different for the better.
“I think it was more of a group, we didn’t have an identity with everything that was going on. We had a lot of people coming and going, ad now we have a good core group.”
As news continues to leak out of the new Las Vegas headquarters, fans are optimistic that a starting lineup of Tyrell Williams (X), Henry Ruggs III (Z), and Hunter Renfrow in the slot with Bryan Edwards filtering in, will help the Raiders return to greatness, or at least to the playoffs. Hopefully, Williams’ own optimism is infectious throughout the facility, and the receivers are ready to launch into the 2020 season with the success all their fans are clamoring for.Â
You May Also Like:Â Raiders WR Bryan Edwards Has Shown He Has Traits To Thrive In NFL
Top Photo: Daniel Shirley/Getty Images