Carr has the green light to go deep more often this season, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports. "The better your receivers are, the more aggressive you are," coach Jon Gruden said. "And the better your line is, the more vertical shots you can call. We think we are better on the line. We think we are better outside. With that being said, we are going to take more shots, I hope."
There's no question about offseason acquisitions Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams providing more of a deep threat, but Gruden's analysis of the offensive line is optimistic, especially with both starting guards out at the beginning of the season. Carr specifically mentioned throwing deep to Williams, whose average depth of target (12.4) in 2018 ranked 16th among 62 wide receivers with 40 or more catches. Carr placed 31st among 33 qualified passers in aDOT (7.3) last year, with Jordy Nelson (9.2 aDOT), Seth Roberts (8.7), Jared Cook (8.0) and Jalen Richard (1.5) dominating the targets in Oakland. It sounds like the Raiders will make a concerted effort to be more aggressive, though a Week 1 matchup with the Denver secondary might encourage a return to the familiar dinking and dunking. Carr threw just two passes in the preseason, completing both for 40 yards and a touchdown.