The Oakland Raiders faced a tough test against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, and they did so shorthanded with a number of key players missing the game due to injury. One of those players was wide receiver J.J. Nelson, who was supposed to play but wound up being ruled inactive just before the game.
With Nelson and return man Dwayne Harris out, recently-acquired wide receiver Trevor Davis saw more time than originally expected. Davis spent a few years with the Green Bay Packers, mainly as a special teams player. He played receiver at Berkley but has only caught nine receptions in his 31 games as a pro.
Although he did not register any catches in his Raiders debut, he did have one of the biggest highlights of the game. On the first play of the Raiders second drive, Davis converted on a sweep play for 60 yards, taking it all the way for a touchdown.
According to Kyle Martin of Raiders.com, Davis had a feeling he was in for a big play after seeing the excellent blocking he got from his new teammates:
“That was great downfield blocking,” he said postgame, “I saw there was one safety left, so I didn’t want him to tackle me with all those blockers. They’re great blockers, too. Our tight ends are great blockers, really our whole team is. I knew after I saw that it was most likely a touchdown.”
Davis’s touchdown was the second of four on the Raiders way to a 31-24 victory to move to 2-2 on the season. Despite only being with the team for a little over a week, Davis had been practicing at receiver in case Nelson was unable to go.
While Davis’s main experience has come on special teams, he says that he will be happy in no matter role he ends up serving for the team:
“It always has been, it really comes down to opportunity in this league, and at the end of the day if you’re given that opportunity you have to take advantage of it,” he explained. “So, even if it’s backing up any receivers, if it’s starting it doesn’t matter what my role is. I’m going to just help the team win, at the end of the day that’s all I really care about. So, whatever they put me in is what I’m going to do.”
Davis adds some much-needed depth at the receiver position for Oakland. Although Darren Waller has been holding it down at the tight end spot, the receivers have been less than stellar so far this season.
Whatever the Raiders and head coach Jon Gruden decide Davis’s role should be, there is no doubt that he has already impressed and should continue to see more opportunities moving forward.
