Additions and Subtractions
One of the Raiders big moves on the offensive side of the ball was bringing in veteran tight end Jason Witten from the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year, $4.75 million deal. The 38-year-old retired after the 2017 season but couldn’t resist the call of the gridiron after a tough stint in the booth for Monday Night Football and returned in 2019.
It was clear that Witten lost his fastball but still had a relatively productive 2019, recording 63 catches for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns. He ended the year 8th in catches and 14th in receiving yards among tight ends which is all the more impressive given his age.
What’s clear is that Witten still knows how to get open in tight spaces as all of his touchdowns were inside the 20, and 3 of the 4 were from inside the 10. Witten also provides a great deal of leadership given his veteran status and all that he has accomplished in his storied career.
The Raiders also signed another veteran tight end in Nick O’Leary on a one-year deal from the Miami Dolphins to bolster their depth. O’Leary has never recorded more than 25 catches in a season and is more of a blocking tight end in the Lee Smith mold.
Lastly, the Raiders signed undrafted free agent Nick Bowers from Penn State. Bowers was not very productive at Penn State and recorded just 17 catches for 214 yards in 10 games over 3 season with the Nittany Lions. He is however a big body at 6’4″ 260 and could develop in to a blocking tight end at the next level.