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The Las Vegas Raiders need a lot of help at several positions. Nonetheless, with the Silver and Black likely taking former Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, one of their to-do items is providing him with protection and improving his weapons.
When it comes to weapons, the Raiders have Ashton Jeanty on the ground, who can contribute in the passing game. Moreover, as far as pass-catchers, there’s Brock Bowers, who’s arguably one of the best young tight ends. Still, Las Vegas needs to find a WR1 and former wideout Chad Johnson has one in mind.
“One move I’ve talked about almost all season long: George Pickens,” Johnson said in a video posted by “Inside the NFL” on Feb. 12. “I would love for George Pickens to have a move. A lot of Dallas Cowboys fans are somewhat delusional and also selfish, wanting to keep George Pickens there when you already have CeeDee Lamb.
“Listen, coming from a great offense, you saw a small sample size of what George Pickens could do, but he needs to be a No. 1 on his own team, and also maximize his value while he can get it now.
“Don’t give Dallas a discount. They’re going to use certain things against you and diminish your value. Allow him to go to the Las Vegas Raiders, new coach Klint Kubiak, [Fernando] Mendoza getting drafted, going to be No. 1.
“Look at all the pieces you can get. Look at all the pieces you can get to build a winning team in trading Maxx Crosby while his value is extremely high. To the Dallas Cowboys, problem solved. I don’t want to hear any excuses.”
Raiders Urged to Make Blockbuster Move
The Raiders’ bolstering of their wide receiver group this offseason has been a topic of speculation this early in the offseason. During a Feb. 11 appearance on CBS Sports HQ, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan believes that the Raiders trading for Cincinnati Bengals star Tee Higgins makes sense for Las Vegas.
“If you’re the Raiders, you’re trying to give Fernando Mendoza, who we assume is going to be the No. 1 overall pick, as many weapons as possible,” Sullivan said. “It’s pretty nice with Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers in that offense, but they are a little thin at wide receiver. So, bringing in someone like Tee Higgins, who has been a 1B over the course of his career, I don’t even consider him a secondary option in that offense.
“He is a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver. He just happens to be in the shadow of arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL in Ja’Marr Chase. You put him in that offense with Klint Kubiak. We’ve seen what he was able to do with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in terms of a league-leading target share. This is someone who could be heavily involved in that offense.”
Could Las Vegas Make a Stopgap Type of Signing
While it would be ideal for the Raiders to have a wideout who is in his prime and a No. 1 guy, perhaps the Silver and Black can pursue a guy who has been a top wideout but is on the downside of his career as a stopgap.
As a result, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been floated as a potential target this offseason. On a Feb. 10 appearance on CBS Sports HQ, CBS Sports’ John Breech stated that the Raiders pursuing a veteran pass catcher to help Mendoza would be ideal, leading to him naming Evans as a potential option.
“The only thing you want to do is bring in guys who can help your young quarterback,” Breech said. “We know they have Brock Bowers. We know they have Ashton Jeanty. So they have the tight end situation settled. They have the running back situation settled.
“Why not go out and get some receivers and some help on the offensive line? I think bringing in a veteran receiver would be interesting, someone like Mike Evans. I don’t know if he’s going to want to go to a rebuilding team, but a veteran who can help Mendoza in his rookie year.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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