Raiders Cut WR D.J. Turner

Getty

Former Las Vegas Raiders WR D.J. Turner.

Wide receiver is arguably the deepest group on the Las Vegas Raiders roster and the team is starting to thin the herd. With such a deep group, players who were part of last year’s squad are having a hard time keeping their roster spot.

Las Vegas announced that wide receiver D.J. Turner is getting waived after recently being placed on the Reserve/Injured list. Turner was one of the surprise players to make the active roster after training camp last season. He ended up playing in nine games last season but didn’t make a single catch.

The Raiders used Turner as a runner on four players where he was able to accumulate 26 yards. He’s a small wide receiver at 5-foot-8 but the team added another small wide receiver in the draft in Tre Tucker, who is 5-foot-9. As a third-round pick, Tucker’s roster spot is essentially a lock so Turner’s chances of making the team were always low. It’s unclear the severity of his injury but the fact that the Raiders waived him may mean that it’s not too significant.

Jimmy Garoppolo Discusses Tre Tucker

The Raiders taking Tre Tucker in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft came as a bit of a surprise. Wide receiver wasn’t a need for the team but Tucker’s 4.39 40-yard dash speed makes him an interesting weapon. However, he still needs some work. He had a couple of drops in his preseason debut against the San Francisco 49ers.

Jimmy Garoppolo is impressed with what he’s seen from Tucker but thinks he’s far from a finished product.

“He’s explosive. He’s strong. I saw in the game last week that he’s got that dog in him,” Garoppolo said of Tucker during his August 17 media availability. “He’s willing to fight for that ball. For a rookie to come in and have that, that’s pretty rare.

“But he’s nowhere near perfect, he’s got room to grow,” added Garoppolo. “When you’re a rookie, you’ve got to just keep going, man. You can’t ever think that you have it figured out at any point in your career, but especially as a rookie. You can’t relax, you’ve just got to keep going. It’s a long year but he’s built the right way and mentally, I think he’s ready for it.”

Tre Tucker Takes Accountability for Drops

With such a deep wide receiver group, a couple of drops during a preseason game would be enough to get cut before the season. However, Tre Tucker’s status as a third-round pick should keep him safe. He acknowledged the drops from the 49ers game and is committed to making sure it doesn’t happen again.

“First NFL game, the drops, that’s on me,” Tucker said during his August 17 media availability. “Obviously, I’ll get that corrected. I’ll work overtime. … Great throws by the quarterback. Overall, I felt like I knew what I was doing.”

While Tucker isn’t a complete player yet, he’s doing all that he can to become the best player possible this season.

“I’m continuing to progress as fall camp goes. I don’t think it ever stops,” Tucker said. “Just taking all the years that I have in my group and just trying to be the best player I can be for myself and for the team.”