The Las Vegas Raiders have already done plenty of shopping, which is why the next move at the trade deadline could be less about adding bodies and more about choosing the right one. After a four-game losing streak, though, it still makes sense to ask whether they’ll stay quiet. With the deadline less than two weeks away, the roster could still use help, especially at wide receiver.
A few names at positions of need have already been dealt in recent days, but Las Vegas hasn’t been connected to many of them. That absence may be telling.
It could mean the Raiders aren’t planning to buy at all and might be more inclined to sell. Even so, there are still a few players they should be thinking about if they decide to get involved.
One of the more intriguing possibilities is Thomas. The Raiders saw exactly what he can do at his peak, and they felt it firsthand in 2024 when he put up nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown against them. His production has dipped, but the talent he’s flashed before and last season does not look like it has vanished.
Las Vegas may feel comfortable enough with Jalen Nailor back and Jach Bech expected to return. Even then, Thomas would bring something this offense clearly lacks. He’d give the Raiders another wrinkle in a limited passing game, though any deal would almost certainly come down to what the asking price looks like.
The bigger issue is that the Raiders need help, but the market doesn’t offer many clean answers. There probably aren’t many offensive linemen worth parting with assets for, and even if one were available, fitting him into a new offense midseason is no small ask. That makes receiver the more realistic area to target.
Downs fits that idea. He isn’t a headline-grabber, but he could be useful in a room that doesn’t need stars as much as reliable hands.
Las Vegas has built its approach to the receiver position around a committee, so the bar here is not elite production. It’s dependability.
Downs has only 307 receiving yards this season, yet he could still be the kind of affordable addition that appeals to a front office trying to avoid overcommitting to this roster.
Ridley would bring a different flavor altogether. His route-running alone would give the Raiders something they don’t currently have in their receiver group.
Every wideout on the roster brings a different skill set, and Ridley would add another layer. If the price is right, that kind of versatility could make sense.
A group featuring Ridley, Bech, Nailor, and Tre Tucker would at least give the Raiders a workable receiver committee. But there’s also a chance the front office decides it has already put enough into the offense and stands pat. The need is obvious, though, and the deadline is close enough now that the decision window is shrinking.
Tucker remains the most interesting piece in all of this. He matters, and his role shouldn’t be brushed aside.
In the right system with the right quarterback, he could become the No. 1 receiver people don’t currently view him as being. He has already shown flashes of that kind of upside, including this season under Klint Kubiak.
If the Raiders can add another receiver or two to pull attention away from him, it could help unlock the whole unit.
Kirk Cousins was quick to praise Tucker this week.
“Going back to training camp, going back to OTAs, he was a guy who could run, run, run, and when other guys started dragging, he still kept his speed up. He was still getting open and still separating in coverage, and he’s shown that on game day as well. But similar to Trey Zuhn [III] moving around, we ask a lot of him,” Cousins said on Wednesday.
“When a guy’s really well-conditioned, we tend to punish him for it. We say, ‘Well, you’re so well-conditioned, we’ll just make you do it again.’
It can be tough, because you still have to understand he’s human, and even though he’s really well-conditioned, let’s not run him into the ground either. So, you try to find that balance, but he can go for a long time.”
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Klint Kubiak has left the door open for Bech to play against the Jets, but the bigger question is how much of a role he can handle right away. For a Raiders offense looking for help, simply getting him back on the field would matter, yet the real intrigue is whether his return comes with a meaningful workload or just a limited first step back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]