Raiders training camp wide receivers looking at some tough cuts

They always say having tough decisions to make when cutdown day approaches is a good problem to have. That could be the situation the Raiders are looking at with regard to the wide receiver position. It's probably the deepest position on the team. The team usually keeps five receivers and there could be six or seven receivers among this group worthy of a roster spot.

Let's take a look at what the Raiders are dealing with

The players

Rod Streater, Denarius Moore, James Jones, Andre Holmes, Greg Little, Greg Jenkins, Brice Butler, Juron Criner, Mike Davis, Seth Roberts, Rahsaan Vaughn

What's new?

James Jones was signed as a free agent from the Packers. Greg Little was waived by the Browns and the Raiders claimed him. Mike Davis, Seth Roberts, and Rahsaan Vaughn are undrafted free agent signings.

The big question

Do the Raiders have a number one receiver?

The big free agent signing was James Jones, but he has never been a number one receiver. Rod Streater and Denarius Moore have been the starters the past couple seasons but neither has taken their game to the next level. Greg Little showed great skills in Cleveland but his unreliability was a big issue and he was released. Andre Holmes showed some rare physical traits and catching abilities last season. He has a lot of potential but it's hard to say if he can put it together. It's a deep receiver corps and there may have to be some tough cuts but no one has distinguished themselves as a go-to receiver.

Best case scenario

They won't need a single go-to receiver. For this to happen, all of their receivers will have to prove they can be a number one receiver. The 1000-yard mark has eluded the Raiders receivers for eight seasons. That would be a great thing to have, but even better would be three or four receivers all between 600-900 yards. The more options the better. And this includes Andre Holmes continuing his development as a dominating 50/50 jump ball receiver.

Worst case scenario

The Raiders get what they've gotten the past eight seasons - flashes of potential that never quite pan out. Denarius Moore and Rod Streater have had their issues with on-target drops for the Raiders and Greg Little had the Browns coaches pulling their hair out from his mental mistakes. Continuing that here would mean he is cut. Without showing more than just potential but results from Streater, Moore, and Holmes would mean the status quo and another fizzle out performance from the receivers on this team.

Random facts

James Jones is a Bay Area native having grown up in San Jose and attending San Jose State. He was drafted by the Packers while Reggie McKenzie was in their front office and spent the past seven years in Green Bay. He was on the Packers' 2010 Super Bowl team along with Charles Woodson.

The Raiders opted not to take a receiver in this year's draft. Some had said they had their eye on Texas A&M wide receiver, Mike Evans, though I disagreed. My reason was Andre Holmes. The Raiders have high hopes for him and he and Evans have very similar physical traits and playing style. Khalil Mack was also on the board at pick five so all those other reasons didn't matter.

Juron Criner has been hanging around looking like he was going to be cut for two seasons now. With this deep receiving corps, he would have to show up big time to not be out come the end of August.

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