According to ESPN reporter John Clayton, the Oakland Raiders reached an agreement with wide receiver Ashley Lelie on Monday.
Lelie, 28, was a casualty on Saturday as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, as he attempted to make the club after missing most of training camp with a calf strain, a year after signing a two-year deal worth $4.3 million and a $2 million signing bonus. Mike Nolan cited his injuries as a major reason why they released him, stating, “When it comes down to it, it really just became a durability issue. If you can’t count on someone for whatever reason … it’s a tough call.”
The former Denver Bronco also fought through a quadriceps injury last season, which limited him to 10 receptions for 115 yards, his worst season as a pro.
Terms of the reported one-year deal are undisclosed at this moment.
Lelie has played in 94 league games, compiling 206 receptions, 3,552 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first six years.
A former first round draft choice of the Broncos, Lelie has never been able to live up to the expectations of being a consistent down field threat when he came out of college as Hawaii’s all-time leader in receiving.
Lelie was traded to Atlanta when he became unhappy with the situation at receiver, ironically, the year they traded for Javon Walker, now a teammate with the Raiders. In Atlanta, he floundered and his contract was bought out, leaving him a free agent in 2007.
The Raiders have been searching for targets at wide receiver for Jamarcus Russell, and became a pursuer of Lelie after losing Drew Carter this pre-season, a speedy target that was looked upon to complement their passers big arm. Lelie will now take on that role, and try to give the Raiders a third option with experience behind Walker and Ronald Curry.
Oakland’s receiving corps is a major question mark going into the season with Walker being inconsistent since his arrival and Curry coming off foot surgery. Their best receiver this summer has been Todd Watkins, a waiver claim from Atlanta that has little success at the pro level.
With an already strong ground game, the Raiders need to find more of a balance with their aerial attack, something that has eluded them all summer.
And with the shaky pass blocking offensive line, one of their more dependable targets, Zach Miller, a favorite of Russell, may have to be used often in pass protection due to him being one of their better edge blockers.
All of this has put Oakland’s passing game in question.
Whether Lelie can impact the Raiders remains to be seen, as the Raiders are also hoping that Walker can bounce back after a down year and the huge deal forked over to him during the off-season.
At this point, too many ‘ifs’ going into the season for a team that ranked 31st in the NFL in passing last year.
Russell’s big arm and playmaking ability is a welcome sight to many. But does Lane Kiffin have the right combination of targets and adequate protection to help facilitate the immense talent Russell possesses?
