Jason Witten will make an impact for the Raiders on and off the field
By Daniel Davis
Jason Witten is headed to the Hall of Fame, but before that, he will look to make an impact in a very young Las Vegas Raiders tight end room.
The Las Vegas Raiders made a splash in free agency this offseason by signing veteran tight end Jason Witten to a short term deal worth up to $4.75 million. The veteran brings tenacity and grit that the young Raiders offense could use, and he will be joining a very talented, and very young tight end group.
Last year, Darren Waller was the breakout star on the Raiders offense, and he could benefit from some veteran leadership, in fact, the whole team could. The Raiders average age on their roster is 26, effectively making them one of the youngest teams in the NFL. However important talent is, leadership is just as important for a young team.
Witten came out of retirement to make one more Super Bowl run with his former team last season, but the team eventually released him after a failed playoff run. Having a guy like Witten on the team could significantly help the morale of the offense, and help the team get into the playoffs for only the second time since the 2002 season.
Witten was Tony Romo‘s go-to guy for a long time in Dallas, and once Dak Prescott took over, he was still a big part of the offense. In his career, Witten has 560 touchdowns, over 11,000 yards, and almost 1,100 receptions, making him one of the great tight ends in the history of the NFL.
Even more important is the 581 first down catches to keep drives going in his career. He also has nearly a 100 passer rating average when targeted by quarterbacks with a 73% reception percentage.
Jason Witten is a great addition to a young team in need of veteran leaders who can win many games. Derek Carr can also benefit from Witten as the veteran who can not only teach the young tight ends, but be another positive voice in the locker room as the team makes the move to Vegas.
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The Raiders offense is loaded with playmakers for the 2020 season, and Witten is certainly a guy who is going to make an impact in a big way. Las Vegas is looking to build off a seven-win 2019 campaign, and based on the upgrades to the roster, that is looking more and more like a certainty.