Tight end Lee Smith took a pay cut to keep playing with the Raiders. It was a thankless gesture, but he really wants to be here, so more power to him. Smith is seen more as a blocking tight end with Jared Cook as the receiver and Clive Walford as a bit of both. However, Smith might be more versatile than you’d think.
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Besides Derek Carr, nobody is more fired up about Todd Downing being the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator than Smith.
That means he’ll have a more defined role in the passing game as a receiver. Smith had the Raiders’ first touchdown reception of the preseason. It was a thing of beauty from Carr.
To come up with that tight-window grab in traffic for the six points had to have been a big boost for Smith’s confidence. The play might have been reviewed to make sure Smith did come up with the grab, but there wasn’t any way that brilliant reception was getting overturned.
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Smith was making this team any way, but all he did in this game was increase his value to the Raiders’ enhanced passing game of Downing. He might be a beneficiary of some targets in increased two tight-end sets. Having Smith as a reliable pass catcher makes the Raiders offense even more dynamic going forward.