It’s almost impossible to not be concerned when glancing at the Las Vegas Raiders’ wide receiver room. Jakobi Meyers, who caught 87 balls for 1,027 yards without dropping any passes, is a starting-caliber player–there’s no debate to be had there. The depth after Meyers, however, is where things get ugly. Especially following the departure of DJ Turner, who quietly had himself a noteworthy 2024 campaign.
If you’re looking at the stat-sheet alone, you won’t see much of anything. This past season, Turner, a third-year Raiders receiver, hauled in 16 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. There’s nothing noteworthy about those numbers.
However, both the film and analytics tell the story of an athletic, versatile player who, like Meyers, can be trusted to catch balls thrown his way. That’s evident by the zero drops from Turner this past season on 29 targets.
More impressively, Turner had six passes come his way in tight coverage. Five of those six passes ended up in completions, including this one against Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II who, despite his best efforts, couldn’t stop Turner from securing a first down.
I saw a lot of good things from @_DjTurner1 through this one too, who as of right now isn’t with the Raiders.
High-energy, shifty, speedy, willing blocker, and can make catches with the best CBs in the game draped all over him.
Here he is vs PS2; tight coverage, but that’s okay pic.twitter.com/HWRAbqjaSA
— Alex Monfreda (@AlexMonfreda) April 10, 2025
Turner, who was nine yards downfield on average per target, averaged 5.2 additional yards post-reception. That was the highest yards after catch mark among all Raiders receivers with at least three catches this past season.
What DJ Turner offers the Las Vegas Raiders
A better question might be, what doesn’t Turner offer Sin City’s football team?
While the 28-year-old may not be a ‘burner’, he’s still plenty speedy. That, combined with shiftiness and overall elusiveness is exactly what led Turner to be used as the subject of go-throws, rush attempts, and returns on both punts and kicks.
Turner was trusted with five rushing attempts in 2024, totaling 33 yards and one touchdown on such plays. His 6.6 yards per attempt was the highest among all 11 Raiders players to attempt 5-plus rushes this past year. In fact, Turner’s average yards per rush was an entire 1.7 more than any of those same players.
On these runs, Turner was able to force three missed tackles. That’s more than any Raider not named Sincere McCormick, Alexander Mattison, Ameer Abdullah or Zamir White were able to accumulate.
If you want to see exactly what Turner is capable of doing with the ball in his hands, look no further than this play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4:
DJ Turner for the TD!
?: #CLEvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
?: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/jWkFg1hJUp
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024
The definition of a shifty, elusive runner who can turn the corner with speed. But he’s more than just a gadget; he’s a receiver who can be counted on to catch passes even in tight coverage, as his zero drops and five contested catches on six targets both prove.
Check out this touchdown with a defender all over him:
Gardner Minshew II (6) to DJ Turner (2)
Las Vegas Raiders
11 yards
pic.twitter.com/poWhU06N7w
— NFL Touchdown Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) October 27, 2024
The film shows a high-energy athlete who’s a willing blocker as well. Although Turner stands 5-foot-9, he isn’t afraid to run at bigger defenders while quickly engaging in blocks. That’s a trait well worth highlighting, and thanks to his efforts, Turner was able to earn a higher run-blocking grade than both Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers via Pro Football Focus.
Don’t forget about Turner’s special teams ability, either
Special teams is an invaluable phase of football. So much so that roster spots are up for grabs for those who stand out in this area. One such player is DJ Turner, who, on top of his receiving and running abilities, returned seven punts and four kicks in 2024.
With 77 yards on seven punt returns, Turner’s 11 yards per return was 1.9 higher than any of the other two Raiders to total at least seven punt returns.
However, the four-year Maryland receiver was only able to accumulate 106 yards on four kick returns. This gave him an average of 26.5 yards per return; the lowest among all three Raiders with at least four kick returns in 2024.
That doesn’t take away from his punt-return expertise, though. As is, Turner’s 24 yard punt return was the longest of Las Vegas’ entire ’24 season.
The question is, did Turner do enough during his third season with the Raiders to be brought back ahead of the team’s 2025 campaign? By all accounts, that answer should be yes.
In addition to receiver help in general, Pete Carroll’s club is in need of an elusive playmaker. With Ameer Abdullah out of a contract, Carroll’s squad is also in need of return help. Turner checks all three boxes: receiver help, elusive playmaker, and return specialist. All in one.
It’s important to note Turner wasn’t a cut victim, but instead a player Sin City’s general manager John Spytek didn’t tender. This saved the Raiders $3.3 million towards the cap.
The above is an important distinction as it in no way means the Raiders aren’t interested in keeping DJ Turner around. As he said on X, “Be Back SOON“; perhaps something is already in the works.
Top Photo: AP Photo/David Becker
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The post DJ Turner’s Quiet Noteworthy 2024 Campaign With Las Vegas Raiders; Reunion In The Works? appeared first on The Raider Ramble.