Trade rumors involving wide receiver Hunter Renfrow this offseason didn’t result in a deal, but you’d be forgiven if you wondered if Renfrow was no longer on the Raiders over the first two weeks of the season.
Renfrow has been targeted with one pass while playing 39 offensive snaps in the first two weeks of the regular season. Renfrow caught that pass for a 23-yard gain, but that’s the only impact he’s had on the field and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi was asked at a Tuesday press conference if there are thoughts about getting Renfrow more involved in the offense against the Steelers this week.
Lombardi said that the team needs to sustain more drives — they’ve run 94 offensive plays — to get everyone involved and added that “coverage can dictate one thing and the ball goes to a certain player, or we misread something at quarterback or we miss a blitz pickup” while saying Renfrow has not been cut out of the offense.
“Hunter was a big part of the game plan in Week One and Week Two, and every player in a skill position will be in Week Three,” Lombardi said. “He’s not deterred, we’re not deterred, we’re just gonna go out there and keep going and try to get some production. And really at the end of the day, we care about team production not individual production. If we’re seven of eight on third down and he doesn’t have a target or Davante [Adams] doesn’t have a target, they’d much rather win the game than get the individual production. You’re right, we have to do a better job of sustaining drives and getting more plays in games therefore more targets and more opportunities come up throughout the game.
Renfrow missed seven games with injury last season and his usage was down when he was in the lineup, although not to this extent and more quiet games in the weeks to come will make it hard to say he remains a big part of any plans the Raiders have on offense.
