Oakland Raiders: Notes & Observations From The Week That Was

August 30, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera (81) runs with the football during the third quarter in a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at O.co Coliseum. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Tight Ends Can Catch Passes Too Part II

And speaking of tight ends…

The Raiders have a pair of talented pass catching tight ends in Mychal Rivera and Clive Walford. To this point though, the both of them have been largely overlooked in the offensive mix.

In two games, Rivera has four catches for a mere 19 yards while Walford has just two catches for five yards total. That’s six catches for 24 yards from a pair of tight ends who have proven to be very effective, very productive pass catchers.

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When they used a third round pick on Walford this year – and already having Rivera in the fold – many thought the Raiders would be using a two headed beast at tight end to help augment the passing game. We’ve seen what the Patriots can do with their tight ends. When Jimmy Graham was in New Orleans, he was one of, if not the best pass catching tight end in the league, and Julius Thomas regularly lit up defenses when he was with Denver.

So the question is, why are Oakland’s talented pass catching tight ends being overlooked so badly in this offense?

Oakland has gotten to see – up close and personal – just how effective and damaging tight ends can be. They’ve surrendered an eye popping four touchdowns to them in just two games. Yet Oakland’s talented duo hasn’t gotten a sniff of the endzone. They’ve barely gotten a sniff of the ball, period.

It’s another element, another wrinkle that OC Bill Musgrave really needs to incorporate into his offensive attack. It can help add another dimension and elevate this Raiders offense to a whole new level.

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