Las Vegas Raiders are continuing to show that they are going to exhaust every avenue in trying to fix a huge issue
The Las Vegas Raiders are signing former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jamari Thrash to the practice squad.
The Las Vegas Raiders have made yet another roster move at wide receiver. Klint Kubiak said last week that the Raiders would exhaust every avenue possible to fix their issues at the position, and Las Vegas appears to be doing exactly that.
This time, the Raiders signed wide receiver Jamari Thrash to their practice squad. In a corresponding move, Las Vegas placed wide receiver Tyler Scott on the practice squad injured list. The Raiders signed Scott to the practice squad just last week, so the receiver carousel keeps turning in Las Vegas. Thrash spent his first two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He played in 18 games over that stretch, but he never carved out a consistent role in the Browns’ offense.
Jamari Thrash’s career stats with the Browns
In his two seasons in the NFL, Thrash has 18 games, 22 targets, 13 catches, 129 receiving yards, seven first downs, and zero touchdowns.
Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but Thrash’s draft profile tells a different story. Cleveland selected him in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Louisville, and many analysts and teams still thought highly of him despite that draft slot.
The reason was simple: speed and route running. Those are two traits that translate at the next level, and they are exactly what the Raiders’ receiver room is missing. He’s also 6-foot, which never hurts on the outside.
What Las Vegas needs is a receiver who can win his reps. I’m not talking about the team winning games. I’m talking about the wide receivers winning their routes and creating separation. Right now, that isn’t happening as often as you would like, and Thrash has the tools to change that.
The Raiders can’t lean on Brock Bowers alone
Las Vegas can’t keep relying solely on Brock Bowers to win games through the passing attack. He’s an elite weapon, but defenses know where the ball is going when nobody else is getting open.
Not long ago, Michael Mayer was a key factor in the passing game, too. But the game script has changed his role. When the Raiders are playing from behind, they have to throw the ball a lot, and opposing defenses blitz because they know it’s coming. That means Las Vegas needs extra protection from its tight ends, and Mayer is the one getting used in that role.
So the Raiders need someone else Kirk Cousins can trust to get the ball to. Bowers can’t do it all, and Mayer can’t run routes when he’s staying in to block. To be fair, nobody is saying Thrash will walk in and become an instant starter. He won’t transform this offense overnight. He’s a practice squad signing, and that matters.
But who’s to say he can’t be a guy the Raiders try to develop? A fifth-round pick with real speed and polished route running is worth a look, especially for a team that’s searching this hard for answers at the position. Thrash has potential, and Las Vegas has nothing to lose by finding out what he has.
Either way, this won’t be the last receiver move we see if the passing game doesn’t improve. Only time will tell whether Thrash becomes part of the solution, and we will have to wait and see.
