Earlier this week, the revelation that Amari Cooper, the Las Vegas star receiver, was retiring from the NFL generated plenty of buzz and headlines. It also created questions about how the team might recover.
Cooper played nearly 10 years in the NFL, beginning and ending his career as part of the Raiders, with a few other stints in between. He spent his final season, 2024, as a receiver for Josh Allen and the Super Bowl-hopeful Buffalo Bills.
Cooper leaves the NFL after achieving 10,033 receiving yards, 64 touchdowns, and an average of 14.1 yards per reception.
While finding a talent with Cooper's skills and abilities may not be immediately achievable, they made a key roster move to address the issue.
Read more:Chiefs Rule Out Wide Receiver Ahead of Week 1 Chargers Clash
On Friday, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo revealed via sources that the Raiders signed wide receiver Justin Shorter from the practice squad.
That prompted NFL insider Adam Schefter to follow up with a reshare of Garafolo's X post, referring to Shorter as "instant help" for the team.
As of this writing, the Raiders' depth chart lists Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker amongst the team's main receivers, followed by Jack Bech and Shorter.
The 6-foot-4 Shorter, listed as a tight end, played for Florida and was a fifth-round pick for the Bills in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, he's yet to accumulate regular-season experience, making the Raiders his first official opportunity.
He racked up 1,395 receiving yards, eight touchdowns, and 14.7 yards per reception in three years playing for the Gators.
In 2024, the Raiders finished fourth overall in the AFC West with a 4-13 record. However, they made several key moves to try to improve for their 2025 season and beyond.
One of the biggest was Pete Carroll becoming the team's new head coach. He spent 2010 to 2023 coaching the Seattle Seahawks, resulting in multiple playoff appearances and a Super Bowl win in 2013.
Along with that, they reunited Carroll with one of his former quarterbacks in Seattle, Geno Smith, who nearly led the team to the postseason in 2024. However, Carroll was only coaching him into the 2023 season.
Now, Smith could have another solid option to throw to with Shorter, as the Raiders attempt to improve in the coming season. Their latest campaign officially begins on Sunday with an away game versus the New England Patriots.
For more on the Las Vegas Raiders and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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