Raiders Should Trade Speedy 2nd-Year WR, Says Analyst
Following the 2024 NFL Draft, the Las Vegas Raiders have signed two new wide receivers Michael Gallup and Jalen Guyton. The team now has 11 wide receivers on the roster but will likely only carry five or six into the regular season.
Tre Tucker was a third-round pick of the Raiders last season and showed some flashes as a deep threat. The speedster averaged 17.4 yards per reception last season and should only get better in 2024. However, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report doesn’t think Tucker has a future in Las Vegas. He listed the wide receiver as one of the team’s trade-or-cut candidates this offseason.
“Let’s get this out of the way first, the Raiders shouldn’t cut Tre Tucker,” Ballentine wrote in a May 8 column. “The 23-year-old had some flashes of brilliance last season and his speed is an asset to the offense. He’s on a cheap contract so it makes no sense to let him walk for nothing in return.
“But the selection of Brock Bowers in the first round will leave him with a smaller role than what he was projected to have ahead of the draft.”
The Raiders may have a logjam at wide receiver but Tucker is one of their most intriguing young options. With a more stable deep passing game, he could be a major impact player for the team this season.
Why Would Las Vegas Want to Trade Tre Tucker?
A big reason why Ballentine thinks that Tucker is no longer a fit for the Raiders is due to the belief that he can only function as a slot receiver.
“At 5’9″, 185 pounds, Tucker is a pure slot receiver,” Ballentine wrote. “However, Jakobi Meyers is also capable of operating on the inside and Bowers is going to get a lot of run from the alignment as well.
“If there’s a team that’s willing to part with a decent draft pick to get Turner, the Raiders should be willing to listen.”
What Ballentine to opining simply isn’t true. Tucker only played 117 snaps in the slot last season while taking 216 snaps out wide, per Pro Football Focus. He certainly has the ability to play in the slot but it’s difficult to call him a “pure slot receiver.”
