Raiders’ search for receiver depth a boon for Whitney
Undrafted practice squad WR activated for Giants game
ALAMEDA » Isaac Whitney may end up being afterthought when the Raiders face the New York Giants Sunday, but least he’ll be an afterthought wearing a uniform.
To a practice squad player, that counts as progress.
The Raiders will play without Michael Crabtree, serving a onegame suspension, and fellow wide out Amari Cooper is expected to be ruled out Friday because of a concussion and an ankle injury. That leaves Seth Roberts, Cordarrelle Patterson and Johnny Holton as healthy wide receivers, with Whitney joining the roster for his first NFL game.
The expectation is for Whitney to get work as a gunner on kickoff coverage, with the possibility of getting in a few snaps on offense, a role that would increase if any of the top three are injured.
Whitney is a patient man. He hasn’t been a featured receiver since 2014 at Riverside Community College when he caught 49 passes for 809 yards and four touchdowns. He missed nine games as a junior at USC with a broken collarbone, and as a senior played sparingly on a deep receiving corps that included JuJu Smith- Schuster, Darreus Rogers and Deontay Burnett.
Besides prototype size (6-foot2, 204 pounds), Whitney is fast enough to have spent time on the USC track team. The Raiders liked what they saw at the USC Pro Day and offered him a contract as an undrafted free agent.
His preseason with the Raiders— three catches for 22 yards— didn’t turn any heads, but Whitney’s work on the practice field made coaches take notice. He signed with the practice squad after the final cutdown and has been there ever since, measuring his progress on film.
“Throughout the first 12 weeks, going against the (first team), it’s competition every day,” Whitney said. “You’re going against the ones. That’s making me better. It’s taught me how to compete on every play. So once you’ removed up, you’re used to it.”
Whitney said he looks at training camp filmand can see how far he’s come as a player, and coach Jack Del Rio has noticed it as well.
“He’s taken advantage of the reps and improved his play as we’ve gone throughout the year,” Del Rio said. “I know he’s excited about having the opportunity to go out and play. We’re likely to have him up and let him participate. I’m looking forward to watching him.”
Cornerback David Amerson has liked what he’s seen of Whitney in practice.
“He’s solid. He’s got good hands. Haven’t really seen him drop a lot of balls,” Amerson said.” He’s a longer guy who gets in and out of his cuts. I think he’ll do fine.”
Said cornerback TJ Carrie: “I think he’s still finding himself. There’s a lot of learning that goes on and everybody is different. He’s done a good job adjusting to it. It’s always good to get work against the first team defense and he’s made some plays against us.”
Offensive coordinator Todd Downing said the Raiders offense won’t change much in terms without Crabtree out and Cooper unlikely to play.
“You don’t anticipate it drastically changing howwe do things,” Downing said. “Maybe just little tweaks in formations or personnel groupings.”
Regardless of how much Whitney plays, it’s a nice bump in pay, even if it’s only for a week when Crabtree returns. His weekly practice squad pay was just over $7,000, while the NFL veteran minimum for those on the 53man roster is a weekly salary of more than $27,300.
While that’s a nice bonus, Whitney is more eager to step on to the field as an NFL player for the first time in a regular season game.
“I’m sure it’s going to probably feel surreal for a moment, but after a couple of plays it will feel normal,” Whitney said. “I don’t let it overwhelm me, just try and do my job and play fast.”
• Running back Marshawn Lynch sat out practice with a rest day, something that;’s likely to continue in future weeks as his workload increases. Amerson (foot), linebacker Cory James (ankle), guard Gabe Jackson (ankle) and Patterson (hip) were limited in practice.
• Jackson was the subject of a letter from the NFL Referees Association to commissioner Roger Goodell since the Raiders guard was not suspended for coming in to contact with an official in the brawl which got Crabtree and Denver’s Aqib Talib one-game suspensions, according to MMQB’s Albert Breer.
According to the letter, the official that came into contact with Jackson went to the doctor Monday for bruised ribs and shortness of breath.
Jackson will likely be hit with a fine in excess of $30,000.
• How much did defensive coordinator John Pagano enjoy seeing the Raiders’ NaVorro Bowman get the club’s first interception of the season?
“It was like the Holy Grail they brought walking over,” Pagano said “It was outstanding. I wanted to put that ball on a pedestal.”