The Raiders have released their first “unofficial” depth chart of the year and there weren’t many surprises. For the most part, head coach Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock have been pretty honest as to who will start and who will come off the bench. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any takeaways from the depth chart.
Rookie receivers Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards were listed as the starting receivers with Tyrell Williams now out for the season. A team starting two rookie receivers isn’t very common, but it isn’t unheard of.
Last year, the Baltimore Ravens opened up the season with two rookie receivers, including Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Miles Boykin. Coincidentally, the Raiders are starting a similar pairing as Ruggs compares well to Brown and Edwards is a big, physical, third-round pick like Boykin was last season.
However, not every team has as much success with rookie receivers as the Ravens did last season. In 2009, the Raiders started two rookie receivers in Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy. But that was one of the worst offenses in team history. Luckily for this version of the Raiders, they are far more talented on offense than they were a decade ago and don’t need to rely on Ruggs and Edwards to carry their passing game.
While Ruggs and Edwards will likely “open” the game with the starters, look for the Raiders to use a heavy rotation at receiver. Hunter Renfrow will play a ton in the slot and veterans Zay Jones and Nelson Agholor will find snaps, as well.
Still, it’s impressive that Ruggs and Edwards performed well enough in camp to earn the status of a starter. Look for the two rookies to be a big part of the offense in Week 1 against the Panthers.
