There was a ton of optimism coming into the season about the potential of the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense. Adding star wide receiver Davante Adams to Pro Bowlers Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller gave the Raiders what looked to be the most talented group of pass catchers, perhaps in the entire NFL.
But five games in, and everything has yet to click on all cylinders as Adams has 10 more targets than Renfrow and Waller combined. Of course, both have dealt with injuries this season, with Renfrow missing two games due to a concussion while Waller has dealt with shoulder and hamstring issues.
And it is those injuries that offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi brought up when asked about the duo and their slow start to the season.
“Anytime you miss a guy with injury, it’s tough to kind of get him back in the flow of things, the Raiders offensive coordinator said. “Hunter missed some time with injury and obviously Darren missed some time with the injury – most of the Kansas City game with his injury. So, we haven’t really had a chance to have those guys on the field together as a collective unit. So, we’re working towards that.”
Getting all three on the field regularly is definitely a step in the right direction. It is important to build chemistry with everyone on the field, and the Raiders haven’t been able to do that just yet. Lombardi hopes they are able to begin building towards that soon.
“We’ll see how it goes this week,” Lombardi added. “But it’s an ongoing process that we’re going to try and do in terms of what does the defense do this week in terms of covers to try and get the guys the ball, whether it’s run game or pass game, and move forward from there. But we’ve got to get them out there first, make sure they’re healthy and ready to go, and that’s the first step.”
For the time being, it is Waller who is dealing with the injury issue, as he has not practiced this week due to the hamstring injury he suffered last Monday night against the Chiefs. The fact that the Raiders had a bye and Waller is still yet to practice definitely isn’t the most encouraging sign.
But when you add a new coach who brings in a different offensive system, along with a receiver who will take a ton of targets like Adams, it takes time for everything to come together. Injuries have made that process even longer for the Raiders, and hopefully, they’ll be able to pull it together soon before this season becomes a lost one.
