There was a time where “Speed Kills” was very much a Silver & Black thing.
The launch codes provided by both Al Davis and Don Coryell meant the long-bomb aerial assault that bombarded the opposition into submission.
As of late though, speed has killed in a different way: The Las Vegas Raiders offense faceplanting with the inability to take full advantage of the speedy wide receivers on the roster. Of course, there are several mitigating factors to this. From quarterback quality to the offensive line that’s the lifeblood of any NFL offense and the development of the fleet-footed wideouts, the Raiders just haven’t been able to take full advantage of Tre Tucker, Dont’e Thornton Jr., or Shedrick Jackson.
There have been fleeting moments of YOLO bombs. It’s not like Las Vegas hasn’t rolled the dice and gone deep. But what was once a Raiders tradition has been too few and far between. And with Klint Kubiak now as the Raiders head coach, one has to wonder if the impressive offensive mind can maximize the speedsters currently on the team’s roster — and anyone else it adds this offseason?
By The NumbersRaiders Speed Receivers
- Tre Tucker: 24 years old, 4.40 40-yard dash time (NFL Combine), 57 catches, 696 yards, 5 touchdowns
- Dont’e Thornton Jr: 23, 4.30 (combine), 10 catches, 135 yards, 0 touchdowns
- Shedrick Jackson: 26, 4.25 (Auburn Pro Day), 4 catches, 56 yards, 1 touchdown
The easiest and most apparent example of Kubiak incorporating a burner in the passing attack is Rashid Shaheed. The Weber State wideout was at Kubiak’s disposal both with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and with the Seattle Seahawks in 2025, as the Super Bowl champs traded for the fleet-footed 6-foot, 180-pound undrafted free agent before the trade deadline this past year.
The 27-year-old hauled in 44 passes for 499 yards and two scores in the Saints and then 15 passes for 188 yards and no receiving touchdowns with the Seahawks after the trade. But come playoff time, we saw Kubiak dial up the deep bombs for Shaheed. And the wideout not only explosiveness to Kubiak’s offense, but quite the energizing jolt to Seattle’s special teams unit notching both a punt and kick return touchdowns.
Shaheed is an unrestricted free agent heading into free agency in March, but he expressed interest in running it back with Seattle.
While there’s always a chance the Raiders could make a splash and land Shaheed, let’s look at the current speedsters on Las Vegas roster: Namely Tucker.
The compactly, but well built, third-round pick (100th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft brings a versatile skillset in the manner of Shaheed as both speedy pass catcher and special teams dynamo. However, the Raiders coaching staff in the three seasons Tucker has been in the NFL hasn’t exploited both — consistently.
The 5-foot-8 and 182-pounder from Cincinnati was an impact return man for the Bearcats but Las Vegas hasn’t given him that role. Tucker did have the most productive season as a receiver this past year and showcased improved route running as he started all 17 games, drew 92 targets. And it’ll be intriguing how Kubiak and special teams boss Joe DeCamillis deploys the 24-year-old wideout. Be it on short passes in space or the deep shots downfield, to punt and kick returns, maximizing Tucker’s participate rate is ideal to see what the receiver can offer in the final year of his rookie contract.
Then there’s the physical specimen that’s Thornton.
At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds and 4.30 speed, the Tennessee product has unicorn traits. But he’s a supremely unpolished prospect after being a fourth-round pick (108th overall) in the 2025 draft. As our Matt Holder noted, in his current form, Thornton is a bad match for Kubiak’s offense.
Kubiak and his choice of wide receivers coach, Zach Azzanni, must hone in on Thornton’s route-running ability and refine it. Kubiak’s offense allows wide receivers to adjust based on what the defense is doing and getting Thornton’s breaks and cuts to be precise while showcasing a more diverse route tree is critical. As it stands, defenders can merely play off coverage and run with Thornton with no fear he’ll doing nothing else but sprint downfield.
Finally, let’s talk Jackson.
The great-nephew of Raiders legend Bo Jackson, the 6-foot-1 and 198-pound receiver has similar speed to his uncle clocking in a 4.25 40-yard dash time at Auburn’s Pro Day. Shedrick’s participation rate since entering the league as an undrafted free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 has been minimal at best.
This past year, the 26-year-old played in five games and hauled in four of his five targets for 56 yards including a dart of a touchdown pass on a well-run route against the Denver Broncos. Jackson is under contract on cheap $1.075 million cap number this coming season, and like Thornton and Tucker, more refined work with Azzanni can translate into wide receivers that can fit Kubiak’s scheme.
That said, Kubiak isn’t rigid. He’ll adjust his system to tailor his personnel. And he’s got a trio of fleet-footed receivers currently on the roster with potential to added even more in free agency (March) and the 2026 draft (late April).
And it’d be dope to see the Raiders once more deploy a punishing run game with the deep bombs that were very much once a Silver & Black trait.
Oh and this doesn’t take into account how fast and versatile Brock Bowers is as a tight end and arguably Las Vegas’ best pass catcher.
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