2024 Raiders roster: Receiver space is bigger than Davante Adams’

Yes, the Las Vegas Raiders’ wide receiver group starts with star No. 1 option Davante Adams.

But unity is much more than the great Adams.

If you forgot, just listen to Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. The coach was clearly impressed with the talent on his roster this offseason.

Pierce praised starter Jakobi Meyers, who is entering his second season with the Silver and Black, and receiver Tre Tucker, who is in his second year. Pierce believes Tucker, a third-round draft pick last season out of Cincinnati, is ready to take the next step in his career after the way he performed in the offseason.

“Tucker is a different guy. He looks different, acts different, runs different, catches the ball different. Don’t look at his size, don’t mention that,” Pierce said during the offseason. “Watch him play. He’s the biggest guy in the world. He had a hell of an offseason, came back right after the offseason program, the Super Bowl and came here and started working and was here every day. Blazer, we know the speed. But everything we talked about, he took it to another level, and you can see the look in his eye of a confident player, a guy that just wants to get better all the time.”

Tucker stood out as a rookie with his speed, but he was inconsistent and often struggled to finish plays. But he has the ability to make big plays, having 19 receptions for 331 yards and 77 yards on 10 carries.

Pierce is also excited about how Meyers has fit in this offseason and the role he’s carved out for himself.

“Jakobi is that guy. When you say I need a dog, Jakobi is that dog, Jakobi is an alpha, Jakobi is fearless,” Pierce said. “Jakobi probably works as hard as any player on our team. You saw him last year, his commitment to the run game speaks volumes because he could easily be a 100-reception, 1,000-yard receiver, but there’s all these other things, it’s those back blocks, it’s those hits on the D-end, the linebacker, getting his nose bloodied, rolling up his sleeves, showing up on guys, setting the tone. His energy and his presence, he might not say a lot and you know him, he’s pretty slick, very slick and light, but when he talks, you better listen to him because he’s got substance behind him.”

Meyers has clearly shown himself to be a force in 2023, his first season with the Raiders after signing as a free agent from New England. Meyers had 71 receptions for 807 yards and eight touchdowns last season. That’s excellent production from a No. 2 option behind a player of Adams’ caliber.

So with Adams, Meyers and Tucker leading the way, Pierce knows his receiving corps is in good shape.

“Those two guys really stepped up for us,” Pierce said. “It’s really good to see because we’re not going to win this game with one person. We’re going to win this game as a collective group of receivers, tight end, running back and quarterback, it’s not just one guy. And we’re going to win or lose on that, and those guys really believe in the collective aspect of it that it takes all of us to do it. You know, I’ve always talked about our superheroes putting on their capes. I told the guys today, ‘Hey, these superheroes need other guys to put on other capes.’”