Oakland Raiders Must Act Quickly to Secure a WR in Free Agency

Here we are, a week into the official start of the NFL’s free agent feeding frenzy, and we’re all still trying to catch our breath. It was a week that saw an incredible number of trades and transactions – some expected, and others out of the blue. And as expected, Reggie McKenzie and the Oakland Raiders – with a Brinks truck full of cash and a ton of glaring needs – were in the thick of the madness.

And what did McKenzie’s efforts yield for a team with so many holes to fill? If you listen to half of the Raider faithful, not much. But the truth of the matter is that despite not landing any marquee names like Randall Cobb, Julius Thomas, Ndamukong Suh, or Jeremy Maclin, McKenzie added some very solid pieces who will be able to step in, step up, and upgrade a team that went 3-13 a season ago.

Well – some very solid pieces and Christian Ponder.

By adding players like Dan Williams, Curtis Lofton, and Nate Allen, the Raiders got a lot stronger up the middle defensively. They got a little deeper with the addition of James Dockery and Malcolm Smith as well. With this reconfigured defense, the Raiders will be stouter against the run, will be able to push the pocket, get after the quarterback, and be better defensively as a whole.

What McKenzie failed to do in free agency thus far is provide second year QB Derek Carr with some reliable offensive weapons. While new C Rodney Hudson and TE Lee Smith will provide Carr with a better measure of protection than he enjoyed last season, the offense is still lacking explosive playmakers.

Roy Helu is a good addition to the offense, but having carried the ball more than 100 times in a season – 151 carries his rookie year in 2011 – he’s not what you can describe as a workhorse back. He’s very versatile and shifty, and will provide Carr with a solid outlet on passing downs. He’ll probably also improve the screen play for the Raiders. He adds a good dimension to the Raiders’ offense, but he’s not a game changer or the explosive playmaker Oakland needs.

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Despite making a serious run at Cobb, who elected to return to Green Bay for less money, and Thomas, who signed with Jacksonville for more money than McKenzie was presumably offering, the Raiders have come up empty in terms of adding a quality wide receiver to the team’s offensive arsenal. And that is a problem.

As it stands, the Raiders’ receiving corps is James Jones, Kenbrell Thompkins and Brice Butler. A second round tender has been given to Rod Streater, essentially locking him up for 2015, and an original round tender was given to Andre Holmes, and Oakland could potentially lose him.

Meaning that if the season started today, the Raiders would field a receiving corps of Jones, Thompkins, Butler, presumably Streater, and possibly Holmes. Which is not exactly the most intimidating group of wideouts in the NFL.

Though Oakland will undoubtedly address this glaring offensive deficiency in the draft, there are still a couple of names out there who can make a positive contribution to the team in 2015. Given the need to surround Carr with some weapons he can use, it would behoove McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio to at least have a conversation with Steve Johnson and the recently cut Greg Jennings.

Dec 7, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Stevie Johnson (13) is unable to control the pass against Oakland Raiders defensive back Chimdi Chekwa (35) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

No, neither of them are a true number one receiver. But both are still productive and can stretch the field. In the case of Jennings, he’s had a season in Oakland OC Bill Musgrave‘s offense when both were with the Minnesota Vikings in 2013. That year, Jennings caught 68 balls for 804 yards and 4 scores.

And that was with the likes of Ponder, Matt Cassell, and Josh Freeman throwing him the ball. Think a QB like Carr could get a little more production out of Jennings than those three?

There is also the Green Bay connection as McKenzie was in the Packers’ front office when they drafted Jennings in 2006.

As for Johnson, after some very productive years in Buffalo – three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons – he signed a deal with the San Francisco 49ers and never really found a niche in their offense. Though appearing in 13 games, he started only one, and had a meager 35 receptions for 435 yards and three scores for his efforts.

At 28 years old, Johnson still has a lot of good football left in him, and put into the right system, with a solid quarterback, he can again be that prolific 1,000 yard receiver he was with the Bills. He can be the sort of weapon that both Carr and the Raiders desperately need.

Jennings would be a complementary piece in Oakland’s offense, and Johnson could fill a larger role. But both would bring a dimension to the passing game that McKenzie and Del Rio want and need. No, they’re not the marquee signings the Oakland faithful are craving, but like some of McKenzie’s other signings during this free agency period, they would step in and provide solid contributions to a team that desperately needs it.