It remains to be seen how much gas 33-year-old Jordy Nelson has left in the tank. In the meantime, the veteran receiver is influencing his new teammates on an off the field.
The Oakland Raiders imported Nelson not only to be a complementary weapon to Amari Cooper but to help mentor the rest of the wideout corps. According to quarterback Derek Carr, the Raiders are getting their money's worth.
"Nothing is just being left under the rug," Carr said recently, via NBC Sports Bay Area's Scott Bair. "Nothing is just being thrown out the window and not thought about. Jordy is very detailed. He wants to do everything exactly how you want it done. I see why Aaron [Rodgers] loved throwing him the ball. He knows if you're comfortable, you'll throw it to them. I think all the guys are taking note of that."
The Raiders are counting on Nelson bouncing back from a subpar season in which he struggled without Rodgers in the lineup. On paper, a trio of Cooper, Nelson and Martavis Bryant provides extreme boom-or-bust potential. If healthy, the triplets offer perfect complements to one another with Nelson patrolling the slot and offering red-zone acumen.
Per Carr, Nelson is doing his part to ensure the full potential of the Raiders receiver room is reached.
"When you add a guy like that, it just trickles down throughout the whole room of guys just their study habits," he said. "You see Jordy off to the side when another group is in, if you just look over there, he is probably just telling somebody something about a route or a technique or a coverage. He's very smart. He can read coverage like a quarterback."
The Raiders now need Nelson to translate those quarterback smarts into receiver touchdowns in 2018.