The Las Vegas Raiders have a receiving room that's currently in a state of flux, and yesterday they announced the signing of receiver Brandon Johnson, according to a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk , with fellow receiver Corey Rucker being placed on injured reserve in what Alper described as a corresponding move.
Jones was released by the Pittburgh Steelers on Wednesday, and he spent time on the Steelers' practice squad last year, as well as on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had one catch for nine yards in three games for the Steelers in 2024, according to Alper.
His most productive season happened before that in his two seasons with the Denver Broncos, as he caught 25 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns during that time span.
Johnson is 27, and he rates a look based on where the Raiders are in their roster rebuild. They have multiple receivers who didn't do much last year , and new coach Klint Kubiak is still trying to sort things out. He was originally drafted out of UCF, and he's 6'2", 195 pounds.
Losing Rucker is a disappointment, as the Raiders made him one of their highest-paid undrafted free agents after the draft. His injury wasn't specified in the report, but Rucker did show potential at Arkansas State, and the Raiders were hoping he would compete for a spot.
For the most part, however, all of these players are somewhat interchangeable at this point. The Raiders signed Jalen Nailor in free agency, and the "veteran" in the group is Tre Tucker, who is just 25 and will be working with his fourth coach in four years.
The Raiders are hoping Kubiak can end the chaos and the endless roster churn. He's expected to build his offensive system around tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, with a better year from running back Ashton Jeanty also on the agenda.
The quarterback is also a question mark right now, but in a good way. Newly-signed veteran Kirk Cousins is expected to be the Week 1 starter, with number one draft pick Fernando Mendoza waiting in the wings. No one knows if this is going to play out the way the Raiders are planning, so there's certainly plenty to speculate about at the moment.
One other big speculation point is whether the Raiders will go out and get a true number one receiver. They don't have that right now, which means there are plenty of opportunities for players like Johnson.
