Two weeks ago, Klint Kubiak provided insight on how his Las Vegas Raiders would earn their roles over the course of the offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, we\u2019re counting on them. We\u2019re counting on them to produce for us,\u201d the Raiders head coach responded when asked how important it is for second-year players to make a sophomore leap. \u201cThe good thing is there\u2019s competition with (Jack) Bech and with DT (Dont\u2019e Thornton Jr.). There\u2019s a lot of competition in that receiver room, and may the best man win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just a few days later, Kubiak\u2019s trusted offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko echoed similar sentiments when broached with the topic of Bech and Thornton Jr. \u2014 the two 2025 NFL draft selections, taken 58th and 108th overall picks, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I think all those guys are competing their butts off. Every day they come to work they put in time, you can tell they\u2019re studying at night because they come in with a notebook full of questions,\u201d Janocko said. \u201cThey\u201dre always peppering Coach (Zach) Azzanni with questions. It\u2019s not just those two, but that whole position group is exciting because they\u2019re guys that really work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Azzanni, the coach charged with the development of the Raiders\u2019 wide receiver room, noted earlier this week at this stage of the offseason, it\u2019s a clean slate and proving grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all open for business,\u201d he said on Tuesday, stressing there are no established roles.<\/p>\n
That provides Bech, Las Vegas\u2019 second-round pick in last year\u2019s draft, an opportunity to get past a rookie year that was less than ideal in terms of production and usage. Kubiak assembled a coaching staff that should \u2014 should \u2014 be more competent than the previous incarnation. And with that, let\u2019s look at the Year 2 bar for Bech.<\/p>\n
By The Numbers
Jack Bech, Wide Receiver<\/p>\n
Career: (2025) 16 games (5 starts), 29 targets, 20 receptions, 224 yards, 0 touchdownsYear 2 Bar: 17 games, 60 targets, 50 receptions, 620 yards, 2 touchdowns<\/p>\n
As you can see from the numbers above, the TCU product\u2019s rookie season was sporadic at best. His highest snap count was 46 in a Week 6 win over the Tennessee Titans, a game where Bech had one target with zero catches. His next highest was 41 snaps in a Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos where he had a season-high six targets for six catches and 50 yards. In six of the 16 games he earned offensive snaps, Bech had zero catches including the regular season finale, a 14-12 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n
Avoiding that discombobulated nature of whatever the Raiders offense was called last season is a big reason why Las Vegas brass was patient in interviewing and landing Kubiak \u2014 the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks this past season. And Bech profiles as a system fit for the offense Kubiak is installing with the Silver & Black as the West Coast offense variant relies on physical wide receivers who can run routes and run block. That was the scouting report on Bech: A fearless and physical pass catcher that has inside and outside versatility and who has a basketball rebounder\u2019s mentality when the ball is in flight that uses his 6-foot-1 and 214-pound frame to compensate for the lack of elite downfield speed.<\/p>\n
The common theme amongst this rendition of the Raiders is versatility. This coaching staff expects the players to comfortably operate in different spots in alignments to not only curb predictability but create opportunities and depth with the eventual 53-man roster.<\/p>\n
As Azzanni noted above, how the Raiders wide receivers complement Kubiak\u2019s run game as blockers on the perimeter will dictate the aerial assault the Silver & Black deploy this coming season. Bech has the size and demeanor to do the dirty work and needs to become as aggressive as blocker as he is as a box-out pass catcher on contested catches.<\/p>\n