Raiders’ Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow heading to injured reserve: Sources

Raiders Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow will be placed on injured reserve, team sources confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday. ESPN first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know:

Backstory

Waller, 30, received a three-year contract extension in September worth a maximum of $51 million. He played 11 games last season with 55 catches for 665 yards and two touchdowns.

Renfrow is coming off a 2021 season where he caught 103 receptions for 1,038 yards and nine TDs.

What Waller is saying

“I mean, with a hamstring strain, you really can’t run. It’s not much you can really do. You gotta make sure that you’re 100 percent before you go out there. That’s what I’m trying to do,” Waller said Wednesday. “I’m implementing myself back in practice, but if I know I’m not gonna be effective when I go out there and run, and you run five plays and then it’s right back to square one, it’s just not smart. And I don’t think it’s really serving the team as far as longevity for the season because I want to be able to go out there and be available consistently.”

“I just got to be able to go through a whole practice — we practice almost two full hours — and then be able to string multiple practice days in a row together before you step out there and play in a game. You can’t just wait around and then just throw yourself out there on Sunday. You really got to prepare and get yourself back into a rhythm. That’s what I’m trying to do right now.”

Why Waller’s injury has lingered

He explained in the locker room Wednesday that the injury prevents him from running full speed without limitations. There’s really no way to fix that issue without giving it time to fully heal, and some hamstring injuries may need more than others for recovery. Attempting to push through it at live speed could just make things worse, so he had to show that he could make it through consecutive practices at a full participant — which he wasn’t able to do since getting hurt — before he could come back.

Ultimately, as aggravating the injury in practice Wednesday showed, Waller couldn’t do it. And at this point, with the Raiders 2-6 and time running out for them to make a playoff push, it’s just not worth it for the long-term vision to force matters. Placing him on injured reserve was the right call. – Reed

What this means for Raiders

Waller has been out since getting hurt in Week 5 against the Chiefs, so the Raiders’ short-term plan doesn’t change with this news as Foster Moreau will just continue to start in his place at tight end.

Without him, it’s been a mixed bag of results for the passing offense. It was explosive against Kansas City and the Texans, but the unit couldn’t do anything against the Saints. And while they got off to an incredible start against the Jaguars, they were shut down in the second half. That sort of inconsistency wasn’t supposed to be possible when the Raiders brass put together the trio of Waller, Renfrow and Davante Adams, but that group hasn’t actually been on the field together much at all.

Renfrow missed two games due to a concussion back when Waller was healthy, so they’ve only actually had 62 snaps where all three of them are on the field together, according to TruMedia. With there being no timetable for Waller’s return, it’s probable that we never see the passing offense at full strength this season. – Reed

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)