While many didn’t give it too much thought when the Las Vegas Raiders signed veteran wide receiver Nelson Agholor, his downfield ability, and his veteran leadership are key for the Raiders heading into Week 4 against the Bills.
When an NFL general manager Mike Mayock looks to build a winning roster, they must find a balance between young talent and key veterans to round out a team looking to make a playoff run. In 2020, Nelson Agholor Raiders presence is an important one as the team looks to stay above .500 after the season’s first month.
Agholor signed with the Raiders this summer and his abilities and experience are of high value as the young Las Vegas team looks to ride the bumpy road of injuries in the early part of the season.
The signing of Agholor was an underrated one. In five seasons with the Eagles, Agholor was a strong contributor and helped Philadelphia beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. His experience on teams making a playoff run, coupled with his steady play, were a key addition by Mayock and Jon Gruden. They knew their young wideouts would need a few veterans to show them the ropes.
“For me, it’s something I embrace,” Agholor told us Wednesday on Silver and Black Today on Raider Nation Radio 920AM. “They’re really talented guys and I think the mental aspect is something that comes with experience. How do you deal with injuries? How do you embrace and understand the reality that it’s a long season? It’s my job to show everybody, by example, the importance of the ‘next man up’ mentality.”
That steady presence, and wealth of NFL experience, means Agholor is an important influence inside the Raiders wide receiver room. Helping guide a young and challenged group through the ups and downs of a long season can’t be understated.
“I think the wide receiver room, though we’re young, we have a lot of talent and versatility in that room,” Agholor told us. “The thing is to get everyone healthy at the right time and everyone peaking at the right time and it might come in spurts, but if we all peak at the right time…I think it’s going to come and pay some interest later.”
In the short time Agholor has been a Raider, he’s made the most of his snaps and truly led by example. Although he has just four receptions through three games, Agholor also has a touchdown and is averaging 18.5 yards per catch. With Edwards, and perhaps Henry Ruggs III, sidelined for Sunday’s matchup with Buffalo, Agholor and Hunter Renfrow most certainly will get their share of targets.
Agholor’s 2018 experience with the Eagles is one he believes he can use with the Raiders young players to underscore the importance of not getting too low when things don’t go well, and not getting to high when they’re going good.
“It was a really good season when you saw ebbs and flows, different players stepping up at different times,” Agholor said. “You lean on the run game, you lean on the passing game – whether it was the wide receiver vertical game or the tight end game. We did that. I think this team is very capable of that.”
Due to injuries, the Radiers may be in a bit of an ebb and having Nelson Agholor there to preach and teach those lessons is important for the young and improving offense.
Listen to the entire Nelson Agholor interview:
