The Las Vegas Raiders were expected to have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL this season but obviously wasn’t the case. While there were many reasons for this, one of the biggest was the health issues of tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.
Renfrow appeared in only 10 games this season while Waller played in just nine and neither had the impact that was expected of them when the season began. With GM Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels still looking to make their imprint on this roster, it makes sense that some players could be moved and apparently teams have their eyes on these two in particular.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, teams are keeping an eye on both Waller and Renfrow as players who could be acquired for the right price this offseason:
“I’ve talked to a few people around the league who expect coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler to continue aggressively tweaking the roster,” Fowler reported on Tuesday. “McDaniels is big on ‘culture fits’ and will want his own guys. Teams will be keeping an eye on tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow in that process.”
As Fowler noted, McDaniels is trying to build a culture within the Raiders franchise and players who don’t fit that mold could be moved. There were multiple instances this season where players spoke about everyone in the locker room not buying in and it is believed that Waller was the target of those comments. If that were the case, and with his injury history, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if the Raiders chose to move on from him this offseason.
Renfrow might be a bigger surprise as there has been nothing but positive words about the receiver ever since he became a Raider. But the former Pro Bowler could possibly net a decent draft pick should the Raiders be open to the idea.
Quarterback Derek Carr is obviously the biggest name on the trade block and the team is working towards making a deal happen with him and the clock is ticking on that. But the Raiders are determined to get back to being one of the premier franchises in the NFL and a true championship contender so any moves they believe will get them closer to that goal are on the table. If that means moving on from players such as Waller or Renfrow could very well be in the cards.
