Oakland Raiders 2015 Preseason Primer

Jun 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera (81) catches a pass at minicamp at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tight Ends

One of the first pickups that Reggie made this offseason was to pay a little known backup tight end named Lee Smith a significant amount of money. Regardless of how well known he is, Smith is known around the NFL for being a tremendous blocker. Last year the Raiders were using Rivera on the line of scrimmage as an in line blocker and that failed miserably. However, the Raiders were not done there when it comes to upgrading this group.

The Raiders also used a third round draft pick on Miami product Clive Walford. Clive is the perfect medium between Smith and Rivera and in the long term should be the solution for the Raiders. For now blocking duties will be Smith’s and Rivera will be a guy the Raiders use in space. The long term outlook for this group is exceptional, however this season if the group exceeds 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns it would have been a quality season.

Next: Preseason Primer: Offensive Line