After the rookie season Bryan Edwards had to endure with injuries and COVID-19 restrictions, a sense of normalcy is starting to come for the second-year receiver.
Edwards, like all of his 2020 draft class, didn't have the usual rookie experience. In the midst of the pandemic, Edwards had no rookie minicamp, OTAs or preseason games. Edwards' short, but impressive 2020 Training Camp managed to earn him a starting wideout position Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers opposite Henry Ruggs III.
While both had high expectations of themselves coming into their rookie seasons, they combined for 645 yards and three touchdowns. Edwards was limited to 11 receptions in 12 games due to an ankle injury.
"I just had such high expectations for myself," said Edwards "I put that pressure on myself and I wanted to be a guy in this league and for this team. When I got hurt and I went down, it was real tough on me just mentally. Trying to force myself a little early to get back – it just didn't go the way I wanted to go."
Ruggs has already publicly stated that he's no longer crying over spilled milk from his rookie season, and that he just wants to continue to get better. Edwards let the media know Wednesday that he feels the exact same way.
"I think me and Ruggs kind of just let the past be the past," said Edwards. "We're kind of trying to put our best foot forward and focus in on the now and try to be present and be where our feet are everyday."
A big factor in Edwards becoming more comfortable within the Raiders organization has a lot to do with how he's adjusted to the city of Las Vegas. The offseason gave Edwards a chance to relax and enjoy his new place of residence, after spending his whole life in South Carolina. Earlier this offseason, Edwards even had the chance to catch a Vegas Golden Knights playoff game at T-Mobile Arena with some of his fellow teammates. He admitted that, "I know nothing about hockey, but the energy in that building is electric."
"I've definitely adjusted well," said Edwards. "I've been here [this offseason]. I went home for a little bit, but I spent most of my time here just trying to get myself adjusted to the heat, to just the atmosphere, the people. So Vegas has really grown on me.
"I bought a home here, so I feel good about it."
In the time Edwards spent in South Carolina, he went back to his alma mater and "tried to give some knowledge" to the up-and-coming Gamecocks and "be a light to them and kind of guide them through their journey like I was guided through mine." A light in Edwards' journey in adjusting to Las Vegas has been receiver Hunter Renfrow. Renfrow is also from South Carolina and grew up in Myrtle Beach, 14 miles south of Conway, South Carolina -- Edwards' hometown.
"Coming all the way out here from South Carolina -- never really been out of the state for much of my life, so coming all the way out here to Vegas, everything [is] new. Having Hunter here for support, just a familiar face from back home, he helped me so much. Mentally, you get a little homesick and just got a guy right there that understands you, that's huge."
Renfrow and Edwards were cross-state rivals in college with Renfrow winning two National Championships at Clemson and Edwards breaking several receiving records at South Carolina. The Raiders slot receiver knows Edwards' game very well and is happy to finally be with him and not against him.
"He's done a great job of playing fast," Renfrow said Monday after practice. "When he plays fast, he's as good as it gets. I've seen that ever since he was in JV football. You can't guard him whenever he's locked in and going full speed. Thankfully, he's healthy and it's going to be an exciting year. But his mentality has never changed, it's just getting him healthy and thankfully he's finally healthy."
Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller can also visibly tell how more comfortable Edwards has become after last season, saying he's playing more "free, not worrying about injury." Waller even claimed that Edwards is letting more his personality come out on the field during Training Camp with him "being goofy out there and just having fun, just being loose."
Quarterback Derek Carr has also noticed Edwards becoming more free on the field as he's been able to develop more chemistry with the receiver this offseason. He even compared Edwards to his former college teammate and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams.
"He's very quiet. But around me he's very open. We talk about a lot of things, joke around, all those kinds of things," Carr said about Edwards.
"Very fun to throw him the ball. I've said it before, just like Davante [Adams] could just move through the air, their body control is just impressive. I wish I could do that. It'd be nice to be able to catch a football like that. I think also you see his strong hands. Sometimes he'll catch a ball and he's so strong that he doesn't bring it into the body where they can punch it out, he'll just hold it away from them. Not many guys can do that, but he can."
No. 89 is coming back into his second season with the same heavy expectations he had his rookie season. While he's drawn comparisons to other star receivers from his coaches and teammates, he seems to solely be focused on being the best Bryan Edwards.
"I'm just trying to come in here and work every day, no matter what's said about me," said Edwards.
"Just come in here and be the same guy, make as many plays as I can for this team."
View photos from another day of practice at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center during 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow (50) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders assistant special teams coach Byron Storer and linebacker Cory Littleton (42) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. (29) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receivers coach Edgar Bennett on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Kendal Vickers (93) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders center Andre James (68) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (97) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (95) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Caleb Scott (10) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders strength and conditioning coach A.J. Neibel on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. (29) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
The Las Vegas Raiders offense and assistant offensive line coach Cameron Clemmons on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (92) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (97) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Marcell Ateman (88) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Caleb Scott (10) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette (20) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Roderic Teamer (33) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen Jr. (27) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Damon Arnette (20) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Willie Snead IV (17) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig (25) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen Jr. (27) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Rasul Douglas (38) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Derek Carrier (85) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Willie Snead IV (17) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Zay Jones (7) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards (89) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Zay Jones (7) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Foster Moreau (87) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Alex Ellis (81) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Willie Snead IV (17) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Derek Carrier (85) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards (89) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Alex Ellis (81), running back Trey Ragas (36) quarterback Derek Carr (4), wide receiver Marcell Ateman (88) and running back B.J. Emmons (35) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders fullback Alec Ingold (45) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Kenyan Drake (23) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (44) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Jalen Richard (30) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (95) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Alex Ellis (81) and defensive end Carl Nassib (94) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Javin White (53) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Dallin Leavitt (32) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders center Andre James (68) and defensive tackle Darius Stills (56) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Max Richardson (54) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
The Las Vegas Raiders special teams unit on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders long snapper Trent Sieg (47) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Darius Philon (96) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen Jr. (27) and safety Dallin Leavitt (32) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Tanner Muse (55) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders punter Corliss Waitman (9) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood (70) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Darius Philon (96) and guard Richie Incognito (64) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (97) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) and tackle Kolton Miller (74) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas (92) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib (94) and guard/tackle Jaryd Jones-Smith (72) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tackle Kolton Miller (74) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Kenyan Drake (23) and wide receiver Keelan Doss (18) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Asmar Bilal (57) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders offensive line coach Tom Cable and tackle Brandon Parker (75) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen Jr. (27) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Garrett Groshek (46) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders guard Lester Cotton Sr. (67) and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow (50) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood (70) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards (89) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders guard Richie Incognito (64) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Garrett Groshek (46) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman (3) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders guard Richie Incognito (64) and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) and Head Coach Jon Gruden on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Foster Moreau (87) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward Jr. (29) on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden huddles with the team on the field for practice at 2021 Training Camp.
