Keelan Cole News

Cole reverted to a bench role late in the season upon fellow slot man Hunter Renfrow's return from injured reserve, but the former caught just four total passes for 44 yards across Weeks 10-14 despite logging at least 29 offensive snaps in each contest during that stretch. Cole will turn 30 years old this offseason as he hits free agency, so there's certainly no guarantee that he'll be back with the Raiders in 2023.

New England focused on shutting down Davante Adams and succeeded, holding him to four catches for 28 yards, but Derek Carr turned to other options instead and made Cole a surprise hero when the duo connected on a game-tying 30-yard TD -- his first score of the season -- with only 32 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It's only the third time all season Cole has caught more than one pass in a game and he has yet to haul in more than two, and with Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller both returning from injured reserve this week, the veteran wideout's role in the offense doesn't figure to grow.

Assuming he's not facing any significant snap-count restriction Sunday in his return from a five-game absence, Renfrow should operate as the Raiders' primary slot man, while Davante Adams and Mack Hollins serve as Las Vegas' main options out wide. During Renfrow's absence, Cole didn't make much of a mark in the box score; despite playing at least 50 percent of the snaps on offense in each of the past five games, he averaged just 1.4 targets per contest.

Cole's lack of productivity continued as the Raiders' entire passing game struggled against the Rams, with quarterback Derek Carr completing just 11 of 20 pass attempts for 137 yards to go along with a pair of interceptions. Cole's offensive snap count could decrease dramatically Week 15 against the Patriots if fellow slot receiver Hunter Renfrow (oblique) manages to return from injured reserve.

Cole failed to make an impact Sunday despite playing more than half of the Raiders' 61 offensive snaps. In the full-time slot role, he's caught just three passes for 33 yards on six targets in four games since Hunter Renfrow's (oblique) placement on injured reserve. Renfrow is eligible to return from IR on Thursday against the Rams, but his availability is uncertain with it being a short week.

Cole continues to see a healthy offensive snap count in the Raiders' slot role with Hunter Renfrow (oblique) sidelined on injured reserve, but Cole's increased playing time has translated to just three catches for 33 yards on six targets over the past three weeks. Renfrow isn't eligible to return until Week 14, so Cole figures to remain directly behind fellow wide receivers Davante Adams and Mack Hollins when the Chargers travel to Las Vegas this week.