Breaking: Raiders Eye Big-Play Receiver: Team Target Big-Bodied Wideout in Off-season
The Las Vegas Raiders need help just about everywhere this offseason.
Sitting at 2-12 and riding a 10-game losing streak after Monday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Raiders find themselves in a deep hole. While much of the fanbase is hoping for the opportunity to draft either Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, the team needs much more than a franchise quarterback. As Caleb Williams on the Chicago Bears or Drake Maye on the New England Patriots clearly show, having a quarterback means nothing without building a proper team around them.
One such piece that the Raiders can bring in to make the life of their new quarterback easier is Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
“Nick Westbrook-Ikhine isn’t a flashy name, but he’s become a quiet producer for the Titans offense,” Bleacher Report’s scouting department said. “The 6’2”, 211-pound receiver is a bigger target and he’s used that size to get eight touchdowns this season. Putting him on the field with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer could give the Raiders multiple big receivers that defenses have to worry about.”
Westbrook-Ikhine was forced into a starting role for the Titans after DeAndre Hopkins was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs and Treylon Burks suffered a season-ending injury. Despite receiving limited opportunities at production, Westbrook-Ikhine has emerged as a reliable touchdown magnet this season, hauling in a career-best eight touchdown catches.
While Westbrook-Ikhine would serve better as a complementary receiver, the Raiders could use more weapons. Jakobi Meyers has been the only consistently reliable wide receiver the Raiders have, allowing defenses to key in on Bowers. Adding Westbrook-Ikhine would mean the Raiders’ top four passing weapons are all six-foot-two or taller, giving the team a chance to create mismatches and be more effective in the red zone.
Westbrook-Ikhine should not be the only piece added to the Raiders’ offense, but bringing him in would make them a much more difficult team to defend.
