Raiders place both Renfrow, Waller on IR; Martinez retires

The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2022 campaign has been underwhelming due to poor play and injuries. After trading for WR Davante Adams and extending both WR Hunter Renfrow and TE Darren Waller, the Raiders were poised to have one of the most prolific receiving trios in the NFL. But thanks to injuries, this trio never lived up to their potential and has only played 62 snaps together thus far.

The Raiders placed Waller (hamstring) and Renfrow (oblique) on the injured reserve Thursday morning and they will be out at least four games. Waller aggravated his hamstring during the first half of the team’s Week 5 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and will now miss at least seven games in a row. While this is Renfrow’s second injury on the season, his first injury was a concussion that sidelined him for two weeks.

Besides losing both Renfrow and Waller, LB Blake Martinez is retiring, the Raiders announced. Martinez appeared in four games with the Raiders and led them in tackles last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rookie LBs Darien Butler and Luke Masterson will likely be asked to step up for the Raiders as Martinez is retiring and LB Divine Deablo is on the injured reserve.

Waller and Renfrow join Deablo and CB Nate Hobbs on the short-term injured reserve, totaling four key contributors for the Raiders on the list.

With both Waller and Renfrow being sidelined for four weeks, look for WR Mack Hollins, TE Foster Moreau, WR Keelan Cole and WR DJ Turner to be more involved in the passing game. Davante Adams will also likely be asked to carry even more of the load going forward for the Raiders passing attack.

At this point, it looks like the Raiders are being extra cautious with Waller and Renfrow, which makes sense considering where the team stands. At 2-6 on the season, there is no point on rushing these players back, it is smart to let them recover and be healthy for the future.