Hunter Renfrow certainly isn’t the type of receiver to start counting targets or complain about his lack of usage. But as Sunday’s game wore on, the zero by his name in the box score spoke volumes.
The fourth-year pro, who hauled in 103 receptions last season for the Raiders, didn’t have a ball thrown his way until less than four minutes remained in the third quarter. Renfrow finished with three catches for 21 yards on six targets as newcomer Davante Adams hauled in 10 catches on 17 targets.
Adams is considered perhaps the best receiver in the game and his acquisition was always going to cut into the workload of the other pass catchers in the offense. But the extreme imbalance may have been a bit jarring at first glance.
Renfrow said Monday he just has to do a better job getting open.
“Everyone just has to be ready for their opportunity,” he said. “I have to run a great route and I know (quarterback Derek Carr) is going to read it out and get the ball to who it has to get to. … So for me, it’s just running my route hard every time. I don’t think I did a great job of that yesterday.”
Renfrow was more concerned that the Raiders lost to a division rival and dropped to 0-1 on the season. He and his teammates were able to put the defeat in perspective, saying it’s just one of 17 opportunities on the schedule. But they also realize they can’t just sit back and expect better results.
They will use the film to figure out what went wrong and try to make corrections before Sunday’s home opener against the Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium.
That same film is where Renfrow will be able to get a better sense of how he performed on Sunday, regardless of what it says in the box score.
His job is to get open. That doesn’t always mean the ball will be thrown his way, but he knows he must do that consistently to make the offense better.
“I really do not care if I have five catches the whole year or a hundred,” he said. “If we start trying to see who the ball is being thrown to or this and that, then we’ll be average. We have to take it upon ourselves to have pride and do our best every play.”
Averett to IR
Cornerback Anthony Averett will miss at least four games after he was placed on injured reserve after breaking his thumb during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. He will miss at least the next four games.
The Raiders filled the roster spot by claiming cornerback Javelin Guidry off waivers from the Cardinals.
Guidry appeared in 28 games, including five starts, with the Jets over the last two seasons. He was third in the NFL with four forced fumbles in 2020, a total that placed him tied for the lead among all rookies in the category.
Injury report
Coach Josh McDaniels confirmed Monday that starting center Andre James was able to return home late Sunday night after being evaluated for a concussion following the loss to the Chargers.
James was seen leaving SoFi Stadium in an ambulance. He was in good spirits, though he had been wearing sunglasses in the locker room following a clash of helmets with the Chargers’ Joey Bosa as they dove for a loose ball on the Raiders’ last offensive play.
“Andre is back here now, which is a good thing,” McDaniels said. “That was a little bit of a concern last night, so we did the right thing there. But he’s here, he came back last night.”
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