Hindsight is 20/20, but the Las Vegas Raiders signing of wide receiver Tyrell Williams is looking worse by the day. Whatever vision the Silver and Black had in mind for Williams will be put on hold with the team placing him on the Injury Reserve list.
The addition of Tyrell Williams hasn’t paid many dividends
One of the Raiders’ marquee signings back in 2019 was the addition of Williams. The team gave the former Chargers receiver a four-year $44 million contract to be Antonio Brown’s sidekick. Once ‘AB’ showed he was not a fit for the organization, he was released and Williams took his place.
As the Raiders No. 1 wide receiver by default, Williams began the 2019 season strong. He started with a bang and scored a touchdown in the first four games of the year. However, things quickly went south due to a plantar fasciitis injury and his production quickly dropped. The wide receiver ended up scoring just two more touchdowns and finished the year with 42 catches for 651 yards.
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Heading into this year’s training camp, Williams had left his plantar fasciitis behind and looked ready to seize his place on the Raiders starting lineup. However, he suffered a shoulder injury, which would have limited his availability for Week 1. Although he might have been able to play hurt, the Silver and Black took no chances and placed him on IR. That means his season is officially over before it began.
What looked like a good signing in 2019 now seems like a blunder by Raiders general manager Mike Mayock. Although teams can’t control injuries, Williams’ history in that regard should have been a red flag in retrospect. There’s no pride in pointing at other’s mistakes, but Mayock will surely want this one back.
It’s not the end of the road for the Raiders
With Williams out of the wait, rookie wide receiver Byran Edwards has a clear path to the Raiders starting lineup. He has been having a superb training camp and received endless buzz according to Tashan Reed of the Athletic. Even if Williams hadn’t gotten hurt, Edwards would have eventually taken over and started opposite of Henry Ruggs III. Moreover, Williams’ absence will force the Raiders to keep another receiver. Rico Gafford’s chances of making the team have increased and so have Marcell Ateman’s.
Injuries in the NFL aren’t fun. Nevertheless, teams have to be equipped to handle them and have someone ready. In the Raiders’ case, Williams’ injury will affect them but not much. Their wide receiver corps is in better shape than they were in 2019 and the season before.
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Top Photo: Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group
