Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting winners of top 6 training camp battles

Las Vegas Raiders: Predicting winners of top 6 training camp battles

No. 3 Tight End

Top Competitors Vying for Spot: Jason Witten, Derek Carrier, Paul Butler

When Vegas signed Jason Witten, some fans took a look at his age (38) and wrote him off as a camp body. Not so fast.

Witten can still block and move the chains as a pass-catcher. In 2019, he recorded 63 receptions for 529 yards and four touchdowns with the Dallas Cowboys. The 11-time Pro Bowl should make the roster as the No. 3 tight end if Foster Moreau recovers from a torn ACL.

If Moreau isn’t quite ready for a full workload, expect to see a lot of Darren Waller and Witten in two-tight end sets.

Gruden still wants to play “old-school football” and talked about using three tight ends, per Kyle Martin of the team’s official website.

“We want to use three tight ends at a time, no disrespect to the receivers, but we’re going to put three tight ends out there,” he said. “Moreau, Waller, Jason Witten, and we’re going to run it in play action and we’re going to play old school football. We have a fullback, so we’re going to use a two-back set with Josh Jacobs and [Alec] Ingold.”

Although Derek Carrier can block, Witten provides a more balanced skill set at tight end. We’ll see if the Raiders carry four players at the position, but the former Cowboy should have the third spot on lock.

Prediction: Witten