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Raiders Mailbag: Is the offense beginning to take shape?

Jun 03, 2025 at 02:54 PM

Levi Edwards

Digital Team Reporter

Deorriel Hackman from Texas asks:

"How are the WRs doing so far with the QBs?"

I'd be lying if I said Geno Smith hasn't changed the dynamic of the Raiders offense.

The deep ball, a facet of Smith's game that should excite many, has been alive and well in practices that've been open to the media. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Raiders quarterback threw 40 touchdown passes traveling over 10 air yards in his two seasons as a starter under Pete Carroll, ranking second in the NFL in that span.

With Smith's deep ball accuracy, the offense can maximize on the speed they have at the wide receiver position, with Tre Tucker and rookie Dont'e Thornton Jr.. Tucker led the team in deep target percentage (22.4%) last year, and recorded five receptions that traveled at least 20 air yards downfield. Meanwhile, Thornton has made quite the impression early this offseason, with the fourth-rounder's physical traits translating into early production.

"I think Dont'e is unique in terms of he's just a hair under 6-5 and he ran 4.3 [40-yard dash]," offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said. "There's not a lot of humans on this planet that do that. And I think if you had to draw up an outside receiver, you would pick that type of body type – someone that's got length, someone that's got a huge catch radius, but also has speed. Sometimes you can get a big guy like that, but he can't really run, so they can stay with him. So, you add that speed element to him, his ability to sink his hips, his ability to get in and out of cuts."

Along with Thornton, another rookie receiver who has jumped out early is Jack Bech. Considering the speed Tucker and Thornton bring on the outside, it'll opened things up for the former TCU Horned Frog in the middle of the field. While still adjusting to the pros, his route running abilities could make him viable down the stretch as he's already built some chemistry with Smith and Aidan O'Connell.

Armando Guzman from California asks:

"How good can the offense be with Jeanty?"

In our last installment of Mailbag, an Ashton Jeanty question arose about how many touches he could receive in this offense.

That question and Armando's question play hand in hand – the more touches for Jeanty, the better for this Raiders offense.

The 2025 first-round pick continues to see ample amount of reps in OTAs. There's no doubt his usage will be high as a rusher, as the Silver and Black ranked 32nd in rushing yards last season. But it seems Kelly is placing Jeanty all over the field, giving him more opportunities to get the ball in open space in last week's practices. This included screen passes and getting the ball to the running back out in the flat.

"Ashton is as talented at back as a young guy coming in the league that I've seen," Kelly said. "He's really special. His ability to sustain runs after contact, his contact balances is kind of a really rare quality. He's got a low center of gravity, and I think it's tough to get him down and normally the first guy doesn't."

It's easy to look in awe at Jeanty's 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground last year, but don't overlook his 569 receiving yards and five touchdowns his sophomore season. His ability to do multiple things, and those things well, can help open up the rest of the offense around him, which will make life easier for Kelly drawing up plays and Smith finding open receivers.

"[H]e's awesome, and he's such a coachable guy that you can do a lot of things with him," Kelly added. "I think he can play in the slot, he can play in the back field, he can do a lot of different things. He's special."

Gregory Nelson from California asks:

"Do you think Tyree Wilson will take the next step to become a better defensive lineman this year?

From his rookie season to his sophomore campaign, Tyree Wilson did take some noticeable strides.

It felt like he was playing catchup in 2023, missing most of the offseason training program due to a foot injury suffered at Texas Tech. More than a year removed from that injury, he increased his sack total, tackles for loss, quarterback pressures and quarterback hit margins in 2024. His snap count increased as well, helping fill voids for Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce throughout the season.

Heading into his third season, the former first-round pick has put on more muscle in his second consecutive offseason. For Wilson to reach his full potential, defensive line coach Rob Leonard believes the biggest leap he needs to take isn't physically, but mentally.

"I just want Tyree to focus on himself," Leonard said. "He'd be so lost in his own world of being the best version of himself. Getting caught up in the results – sacks, pressures, missed sacks. He misses one, who cares? On to the next one. That rebound rate I want [to be] consistent. I firmly believe the results will come for him. But every rush got to be the same. It can't be emotional. It's the consistency and he's doing it."

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Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darnay Holmes (30) at an Organized Team Activity (OTA) at Intermountain Health Performance Center.