Oakland Raiders: Breaking down the Ryan Grant signing

The Oakland Raiders have officially signed former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ryan Grant in an attempt to further reshape their receiving core.

The Oakland Raiders have made a concerted effort to revamp their wide receiver core ahead of the 2019 season and their recent signing of veteran wideout Ryan Grant is yet another instance of this.

Of course, the offseason trade for All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown will highlight these moves, but the remaining signings shouldn’t be overlooked. Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson give the Raiders a pair of speedy deep-threats to stretch the field while Grant now gives Oakland a reliable slot option.

All of this should bode well for the success of quarterback Derek Carr in 2019 as the Raiders are clearly focused on providing their QB with a plethora of offensive weapons.

Grant originally entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Washington Redskins back in 2014 and spent the first four years of his career playing under head coach Jay Gruden. There, Grant established himself as a nifty slot receiver with good route-running ability and reliable hands.

His play was enough to earn him a sizable four-year, $29 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 offseason. Unfortunately, the deal fell through due to a failed physical and he wound up signing a one-year, $5 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts instead.

However, Grant disappointed in 2018 never seeming to be able to get going as he pulled in just 35 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown. The Tulane product just never seemed to be a great fit for the Colts and struggled mightily as a result.

Grant will step in and immediately compete for a depth receiver spot slotted behind both Brown and Williams who are expected to be starters on the outside. This signing, however, could mean the end of the road for one regular fixture of the Raiders offense.

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Veteran slot receiver Seth Roberts could find himself on the outside looking in after the Grant acquisition. The two both play primarily from the slot meaning that Roberts’ roster spot could be in major jeopardy.

The West Alabama product has had his issues with drops and many feel that it’s surprising he’s lasted this long with the team already. Roberts has been a consistent contributor over the past four seasons totaling between 32 and 45 catches for anywhere between 397 and 494 receiving yards putting up a similar stat line each year.

But since Grant plays a similar game and is arguably the more reliable target, the Raiders might opt to cut ties with Roberts as his contract expires after this coming season anyway. Oakland would save $4.65 million in cap space and incur no dead cap penalty making this a very viable option.

Expect the Raiders to still target the wide receiver position in the 2019 NFL Draft as they could fare better getting younger at the position — as with a lot of their roster. Out of the team’s top five receivers currently on the roster, only J.J. Nelson is younger than 28-years-old meaning that it would be smart for Oakland to prepare for the future.

Ultimately, Grant gives the Raiders a reliable slot target with the potential for a bounce-back season after a disappointing year in Indianapolis.

One thing’s for sure, there will be no shortage of new faces among Raiders receivers in 2019.