Oakland Raiders: Three Raiders with the most to prove in 2018
Jordy Nelson, WR
Jordy Nelson is a newcomer to the Oakland Raiders, but far from that to the league. Catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson was once revered as one of the better receivers in the entire league.
As his career with the Packers came to a bitter end, so did that narrative. Jordy Nelson’s production fell off of a cliff in 2017. The reason for this lack of production last season is multifaceted.
Certainly Nelson’s age could have played a part in it, as he is not getting any younger and has suffered some major injuries in his career. But Nelson was only 32 last season, an age where a player should still be in their prime. After all, Nelson had a 1200 yard season at the age of 31.
It is safe to say that Nelson is not yet washed up due to his age. But then why was his 2017 season so awful?
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This is fairly easy to answer.
Brett Hundley is bad at football.
There it is, the reason behind Jordy Nelson’s downfall. When Aaron Rodgers went out for most of the season with a shoulder injury, the team fell apart. As Rodgers goes so does the team’s offensive capabilities.
Now being in Oakland with Derek Carr, Nelson is due for a bounce back season, proving all of his new found doubters wrong. While it is very likely that Nelson improves tremendously after last season, many believe he will never again be the same player. This feeling of doubt surrounding him throughout the NFL world is precisely why Jordy Nelson has so much to prove this season.
If there were ever a player with a chip on their shoulder, it’s Jordy Nelson.