Why Raiders Primed to Finally Maximize WR Tre Tucker

The Impact of Instability

The instability the Raiders have experienced at head coach and offensive coordinator has affected some players more than others. Along with players like Aidan O'Connell, Michael Mayer, and Zamir White, few players have been as impacted by Las Vegas' instability as Tre Tucker.

Tucker has shown potential at various points throughout his career, but Las Vegas' subpar coaching and roster situation have held him back. The Raiders hired Klint Kubiak to help unlock their offense, which will include getting the likes of Tucker and others going.

Tucker caught Kubiak's eye on film, which Kubiak noted earlier in the offseason. Tucker fits in well with what the Raiders are likely wanting to do under Kubiak. In Organized Team Activities, it is already apparent that Tucker will make more of an impact than he has up to this point in his career.

From the start, Kubiak has been impressed with Tucker and what he has done so far in his career. However, Kubiak knows there is much more to Tucker than what has been shown. It will be up to Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko to maximize Tucker's talent.

“I mean one guy that sticks out is watching Tre Tucker play football. He's kind of everything that we're about, the way that his play style, how good of a teammate that he is. He's one of those guys like Maxx [Crosby],” Kubiak said. 

“There's about 25 guys that are there working out with A.J. [Neibel] four days a week, five days a week right now. So, there's already a culture of hard working guys in our building. He's an example of one of them."

Tucker's Potential

The Raiders appear to finally have a competent coaching staff for the first time in Tucker's career. Tucker will be on his fourth head coach in his four seasons in the league, which has undoubtedly impacted his development, as it would any player. Still, Tucker has persevered.

As Las Vegas moves into a new era of football, they hope that it will include an improved offense, and Tucker's role in making that happen is already evident. Kubiak recently noted how well Tucker has looked on the field, in comparison to what Kubiak had already seen from Tucker's game film.

“Really no surprise there from what you've seen previously. He can run all day. He's a quiet leader, a guy that we're going to put in a leadership role. He's got to be a playmaker for us, and he has been. And now let's go see what else we can get out of him,” Kubiak said.

“When you got a guy that's that size and that competitive and works that hard, there's not a whole lot of humans on the planet that can put as many yards on the field at that high of a speed, so he's been really impressive.”

For the Raiders' offense to run to its highest potential, Tucker must be involved. At the very least, he must be a legitimate option that opposing defenses must concern themselves with. He is that talented. Tucker has shown flashes for several seasons now.

With Kubiak in town, Tucker has a legitimate chance to show much more than just flashes. Tucker has the opportunity to prove he is a well-rounded receiver who can do it all in the right situation.