Paul Butler could surprise this summer for the Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders are looking for a new leader at the tight end position in 2019, and Paul Butler has been having himself on heck of an offseason.

Over the past two seasons, tight end Jared Cook has been a leader for the Oakland Raiders offense. The team’s leader in receiving yards in 2017 and 2018, Cook will be a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2019, after signing with the team as a free agent this past offseason.

With Cook’s departure, the tight end position is going to be incredible to watch this summer, as plenty of players have a chance to make an impact this season. Guys like Darren Waller, Luke Willson, Foster Moreau, and Derek Carrier have gotten a lot of the ink when it comes to stepping in for Cook, but one guy has been working his tail off to make this team all summer long.

Paul Butler came to the Raiders as an undrafted free agent out of California University of Pennsylvania, and spent nearly all of his rookie season on the practice squad. He was activated in December, but played no role in the offense in Year No. 1.

This offseason, Butler has been on a monster workout regime, lifting 900 pound tires, having catches with Hall of Famer Dan Marino, and even working out with Antonio Brown. All of this could lead to Butler being one of the bigger surprises in camp this summer, where there is no clear front-runner for his position heading into the end of July.

It has certainly been a very interesting summer for Butler, who is striving to be a big part of this Raiders offense in 2019, and beyond. There is a legitimate shot for him to not only make this roster this summer, but to earn major playing time, and he is leaving nothing to chance as he prepares for training camp No. 2 in the NFL.