Oakland Raiders trade for wide receiver Martavis Bryant

The Oakland Raiders continued to re-make themselves on offense on NFL Draft night by trading for wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

The Oakland Raiders have made a lot of moves on offense under new head coach Jon Gruden. They’ve moved on from receiver Michael Crabtree and brought in wide receiver Jordy Nelson and running back Doug Martin. They continued to add weapons for quarterback Derek Carr during the NFL Draft, trading for former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant.

This trade really can’t be that much of a surprise to the enigmatic young receiver. He basically complained his way out of a big role in the Pittsburgh offense after they gave him a second chance following a full-season suspension. Bryant couldn’t handle the fact that the Steelers drafted Juju Smith-Schuster in 2017 and was eventually de-activated for a game due to “conduct detrimental to the team”. Getting a third-round pick for a player who had more drama than he was worth isn’t a bad move for Pittsburgh.

For the Raiders, this could be an intriguing “buy-low” candidate. For all the headaches that Bryant has created in his career, there’s no doubt he is an immensely talented receiver. He has the size and blazing speed not many in the league can match….when his head is in the game.Bryant has averaged a hair under .50 touchdowns per game and 15.2 yards per reception during his career. The potential is tantalizing.

One of Bryant’s biggest complaints was he isn’t getting the ball enough in Pittsburgh. Is there room in the offense to sustain Bryant, Jordy Nelson and Amari Cooper, arguably the most talented of the bunch? He clearly won’t be the alpha in this passing game either, which is what he supposedly craves. It remains to be seen how the pieces all fit for Gruden and Carr.

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This is a win-win for the Raiders. If Braynt hits, he’s worth more than a third round pick. If he doesn’t, all the Raiders have spent is a third rounder for the chance to get a special player. Pittsburgh is likely best served getting rid of some of the drama that helped oust them in the playoffs just a few short months ago.