The Las Vegas Raiders spent big on Tyrell Williams ahead of the 2019 season, signing the former Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver to a four-year, $44 million deal. After a nagging foot injury limited him to 12 starts and his lowest yardage output in five years during his Raiders debut, however, Williams is facing another major hurdle in 2020. Just one week after it was reported Williams suffered a torn labrum and would try to fight through the pain to stay on the field, the Raiders made the decision to place him on injured reserve, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
A torn labrum in the shoulder often requires a recovery period of anywhere between four to eight months if surgery is indeed performed, as evidenced by past injuries to players like Drew Brees and Earl Thomas. Players have also received alternative treatments in an effort to play through pain, although not usually for more than a few months at a time.
Williams is still trying to replicate the numbers he put up with the San Diego Chargers in 2016, when he caught 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 4.3 receptions per game. Williams did play in all 16 games during his final three seasons with the Chargers, but has run into injury issues since switching teams within the AFC West. A total of three players are now allowed to return from injured reserve according to the new CBA, but it remains to be seen if Williams can recover fast enough to play in 2020.
Fortunately for the Raiders, Williams is no longer the team's only big investment at WR. Las Vegas put extra emphasis on bolstering quarterback Derek Carr's supporting cast this offseason, spending a first-round draft pick on Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs III and a pair of third-rounders on hybrid runner/receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. and "freak talent" camp darling Bryan Edwards. The Raiders also signed longtime Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, the projected No. 2 behind Darren Waller; and former Eagles starter Nelson Agholor, a candidate to man the slot.
