The Raiders were banking on Amari Cooper providing a higher floor to the teams wide receiver corps, however after not looking impressive in training camp he decided to retire leaving the Raiders lacking another veteran in their room. Prior to their matchup with the New England Patriots, the Raiders decided to sign former 5th rounder Justin Shorter to the practice squad, the former WR was converted to TE last season before moving back to WR during training camp. The Raiders are going to be in a tough spot to find a veteran option at WR at this point but there’s options available if they want to elevate the floor of the room again.
With the recent re-signings of Gabe Davis (Bills) and Nelson Agholor (Ravens) the veteran WR market is lacking, but recently released Kendrick Bourne is available and could provide a stable floor to the room. The UDFA out of Eastern Washington was recently released by the Patriots after spending 4 years with the team. Bourne has played a total of 8 NFL seasons and in those he’s eclipsed 400 yards in all but 3 seasons (one being his rookie season in 2017 with the 49ers). Bourne only posted 28 rec, 306 yards, and a TD in 2024 and due to the mix of his contract and the Patriots deep receiving room, the team decided to move on. Since his release, Bourne took visits with the 49ers and Commanders, and both teams have a need at WR along with prior connect with Bourne. However, when it comes to potential opportunities to play and money, the Raiders likely have better appeal in both aspects. The Raiders are going to make it a priority to rotate their receivers, and with the team relying on two rookies, though both have flashed, there’s the opportunity for Bourne to get back to his 500+ yard self.
Much like Cooper, Bourne has spent majority of his career rotating between the slot and at Z, something that should appeal to the Raiders given their heavy options inside the slot with Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and Jack Bech all excelling from there. Bourne caught 60% of his contested catch targets last season and also only dropped one pass in 37 targets. He’d provide the Raiders with a quality 3rd or 4th receiving option while also elevating the depth of the room. It remains to be seen if the Raiders want to add another veteran WR to the room or they’re comfortable setting with Justin Shorter, but given how the team went the route of bringing in Cooper you can imagine a similar pathway is likely still an option.
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