NFL free agency officially kicks off next Monday and there will be a flurry of moves by teams trying to catch the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC. What will the Raiders do without a franchise quarterback on the roster and a ton of cap space? That remains to be seen.
In a recent article by Aaron Schatz of ESPN and Football Outsiders, he named one player that each team must sign in free agency. For the Raiders, that was Super Bowl champion WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. Here is why Schatz believes Smith-Schuster would be a perfect fit for Las Vegas:
“The Raiders need a wide receiver to play opposite Davante Adams, but they’re going to have a bit of a challenge finding the right one. The trick is not to sign a receiver who duplicates the skill set of slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. Most of this year’s top free-agent wideouts are primarily slot receivers, including Jakobi Meyers, Robert Woods and Parris Campbell.
Smith-Schuster is often thought of as a slot receiver too, but he lines up wide more often than you think. Last season, 42% of his targets came when he was lined up wide before the snap. Smith-Schuster’s ups and downs in Pittsburgh showed that he flourishes when he can be a No. 2 instead of a No. 1, and he would be a strong complement to Adams and Renfrow.”
While this makes sense on paper, the problem is that Smith-Schuster’s best work does come from the slot and he’s not a threat as an outside receiver, at all. He also lacks speed and quickness, which is already a common theme on the offense.
If the Raiders want to add a playmaker to the offense, there is another receiver from the Chiefs (Mecole Hardman) that makes more sense. They’ve got to get faster on offense and unfortunately, Smith-Schuster doesn’t help them there.
Don’t expect the Raiders to show much interest in JuJu Smith-Schuster during free agency.