Through two games with the Las Vegas Raiders this season, former Clemson star receiver Hunter Renfrow has had just one pass thrown his way.
However, Renfrow isn’t discouraged by his lack of involvement in the team’s offense early on in 2023, according to Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi.
And Lombardi says Renfrow was “a big part” of their game plan across the first two weeks, despite the fact he has been targeted only once through two games. He has played 39 total snaps so far this season and recorded a 23-yard reception on his lone target.
“Over two games, it is what it is. We always look to get everybody involved. Hunter was a big part of the game plan in Week 1 and Week 2, and every player in a skill position will be in Week 3,” Lombardi said Tuesday. “So, he’s not deterred, we’re not deterred. We’re just gonna go out there and keep going and try to get some production. And really at the end of the day, we care about team production, not individual production. So, if we’re seven of eight on third down and he doesn’t have a target or Davante (Adams) doesn’t have a target, they’d much rather win the game than get the individual production.”
Following a career year in 2021, Renfrow had a 2022 season that was hampered by injuries, and his production suffered as a result.
Renfrow was limited to 10 games last season following the 2021 season that saw him earn his first career Pro Bowl nod. He had 36 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns a year ago after posting career highs with 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021.
Back in July, Renfrow addressed his down 2022 season, saying he felt like he “let a lot of my teammates down last year,” and that he was “hoping last year was a fluke” as he entered this season — his second under Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, and first season with Jimmy Garoppolo as the Raiders’ quarterback.
The Raiders’ offense as a whole hasn’t been good thus far this year, scoring only three total touchdowns in two games, but Lombardi believes there will be opportunities for Renfrow if the offense picks things up.
“I think just overall, in terms of the passing game, we’ve got to obviously stay on the field a little bit more on third down and sustain drives and present more opportunities on drives moving forward,” Lombardi said. “The coverage can dictate one thing and the ball goes to a certain player, or we misread something at quarterback or we miss a blitz pickup. All those factor into the passing game.”
There were a lot of trade rumors this past offseason surrounding Renfrow, even though he signed a two-year, $32 million contract extension in June 2022, keeping him under contract through the 2024 season.
Renfrow entered this season with 244 career receptions for 2,629 yards and 17 touchdowns across the last four seasons with the Raiders after being selected by the franchise in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Renfrow wasn’t targeted in the Raiders’ win over the Broncos to open this season. The ball was finally thrown his way last Sunday, when he caught a pass from Garoppolo with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter of a 38-10 loss to the Bills.
“I’m not sure,” Renfrow said of his lack of targets, via ESPN. “I’m just trying to do my job, to be honest. Yeah. And then just trying to have a good week of practice, and then, hopefully, the ball finds me on Sundays. That’s all I can do.”
Renfrow and the Raiders return to action when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m., NBC).
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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