Oakland Raiders: Five most pressing questions that must be answered

The Situation At Wide Receiver Is Suddenly A Lot Messier

When Gruden swapped a third-round pick in this year’s draft for Steelers perennial headache Martavis Bryant, eyebrows were raised all around the Raider Nation.

Sure, Bryant has a boatload of talent, but you know who else did too? Yeah, Aldon Smith. And we see how that worked out.

However, through the early part of the offseason program, Bryant seemed like he was turning over a new leaf. He was saying all the right things and doing a bang up job on the field. It looked like, with him in the receivers room, Oakland was going to field a pretty lethal lineup in Bryant, Amari Cooper, and Jordy Nelson.

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And then came word that Bryant is looking at yet another suspension for a failed (or missed) drug test. Given the fact that Bryant has already been suspended multiple times – including the entire 2016 season – any suspension handed down by the league is not going to be a slap on the wrist.

If Bryant is suspended – and the hope obviously, is that he’s not – Oakland fans shouldn’t expect to see him take the field for the Silver and Black this year.

Which leaves the situation at receiver a little – murky. At best. There’s Seth Roberts, who hasn’t proved he can be consistent – and not drop a ton of balls. He’s also been the subject of various trade rumors already, so it’s clear that Gruden might not be all in with him.

And then there’s Johnny Holton, who may not be more than a one-trick deep ball pony.

If anybody is going to benefit from Bryant being shelved this year, it’s seventh-round draft pick Marcell Ateman, who could find himself competing for some significant snaps behind Cooper and Nelson.

There’s no doubt that having Bryant on the field would upgrade Oakland’s receivers group tremendously. To have a weapon like Bryant, with his physical gifts, on the field with Cooper and Nelson would elevate this offense, and give Derek Carr some potent weapons to work with.

All we can do though, is sit and wait for the league offices to either hand down a suspension, or clear the decks, paving the way for Bryant to suit up.

And hope that Gruden has a backup plan.