The Oakland Raiders didn't have a ton of playmakers at wide receiver last season. Their leading pass catchers were Andre Holmes (693 yards) and James Jones (73 receptions). Not exactly the second coming of peak-tandem Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin from a few years ago. Overall, Oakland ranked just 28th in total receiving yards (3,456), 17th in touchdown receptions (22) and 26th in yards after catch (1,642).
To his credit, general manager Reggie McKenzie realized this issue must be remedied, so he invested Oakland's top overall pick in wide receiver Amari Cooper and signed Michael Crabtree as a free agent. Cooper figures to be second-year quarterback Derek Carr's No. 1 wide receiver from the get-go while Crabtree has drawn favorable reviews in camp. But Oakland's depth at wide receiver doesn't stop there.
"One player who seems ready to make a difference as a rotational player is Brice Butler," ESPN Raiders reporter Bill Williamson wrote.
"Butler - who flashed last season - performed well in the Raiders' 18-3 win over St. Louis on Friday night. Butler had had a game-high six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown."
Butler doesn't have the glossy pedigree that Cooper does; he was Oakland's final pick in 2013 out of San Diego State and has just 30 career receptions for 383 yards and two touchdowns. But what Butler does have is size (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) and speed (sub-4.5 40-yard dash). You can't teach those skills.
For what it's worth, new Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been impressed with Butler's performance through 12 training camp practices and one preseason game.
"I thought Brice was good the other night," Del Rio said via ESPN. "How will that shape what we do? Guys that do well get more, guys that don't do as well get less. It's really pretty cut and dry. We're going to want to look at more of guys that do well and do good things with the reps they get. I thought he had a nice showing."
The Raiders firmly believe that Carr can develop into a franchise quarterback, but he'll need weapons to do so. Butler is poised to serve as a potential contributing piece to Oakland's offense this season in addition to their other offensive upgrades. That's a step in the right direction for all involved.
