Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi said last week that wide receiver Hunter Renfrow was a big part of the team’s offensive plans despite only being targeted once in the first two weeks, but things didn’t change too much against the Steelers last Sunday.
Renfrow caught both passes thrown to him while playing just over half the team’s offensive snaps in the 23-18 loss. The drop in Renfrow’s usage began last year and it was accompanied by chatter that the Raiders might trade him to another club, but nothing has materialized on that front.
On Wednesday, Renfrow said he’s unbothered by the trade talk because it’s been going on since last year and “didn’t matter because I was being a great teammate and I was trying to make the most of my opportunity.” He had a similar response to his role in the offense.
“I’m still figuring it out,” Renfrow said, via Tashan Reed of TheAthletic.com. “It’s a day-to-day process. For me, it’s more so just controlling what I can every single day because I don’t make decisions, right? I could have a great day or a bad day, but it still doesn’t [change anything]. I don’t get to call the plays. And that was one thing I reflected on this year: No matter what happens, just to control what I can control and be a great teammate every day. I’m not having a great year statistically right now, but I’ve had a lot of joy every day in being with my teammates because of that.”
With the new staff and offensive scheme in place for more than a year, it’s hard to imagine Renfrow’s role changing all that much in Las Vegas. If someone else thinks he’s capable of more, there may be some fire behind the trade smoke that’s been in the air for months.
