No one expected the Raiders to make tight end a priority this offseason. With a breakout budding star in Darren Waller and a promising rookie in Foster Moreau, the team looked set at the position. Jon Gruden apparently disagreed.
Among the team’s priority additions as free agency opened was the signing of veteran Jason Witten. What could this 38-year-old bring to this tight end group they didn’t already have?
Well, he says his role will likely evolve. But first and foremost, he adds a veteran presence.
“I certainly in my career have had a lot of great mentors, coaches and players alike who showed me the game. Input to help me try and take the next step,” Witten said over conference call Monday. “It starts with Darren Waller and what kind of year he had last year in the future, Foster Moreau being a young player, and I come in.”
To say Waller broke out last season is a bit of an understatement. He was on the practice squad in Baltimore just months before and by midway through last season, he was looking like one of the best tight ends in the league.
Waller would finish with 90 catches for 1,145 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Both his catches and yards were second among tight ends only to Chiefs’ All-Pro Travis Kelce.
Naturally Witten likes what he sees.
“There is no limit on what he can accomplish in this league,” Witten said of Waller. “He’s still a young player. I watched a lot of tape from a year ago. He’s big, he’s long, he’s athletic, he’s extremely fast. He’s just got great feel and understanding. A lot of that part of playing the tight end position. You want size, you want speed, you want all those things, but how do you get open when maybe the coverage doesn’t say you should get open. And that’s one of the tricks you have to master. You see the way he studies it, and what he wants out of this year in his career. I think he’s going to be a star. He already is a star. I don’t think there’s a limit to what he can achieve in this league at the tight end position.”
Waller and the Raiders are hoping for an encore performance this season. He has all the talent in the world. Now he has one of the best in the game to help fine tune his game. Same for Foster Moreau going into his second year.
Also, make no mistake, Witten can still play. He caught 63 passes for 529 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. The Raiders could have some pretty lethal two tight end sets. We know Gruden loves those. Oh, and veterans too.
“Coach Gruden has had a way with veteran players later in their career, and I certainly understand that,” Witten continued. “I have high standards for myself in the experiences that I’ve had. So much of the tight end position is all the little nuances that go into allowing you to be successful in the run game, pass protection and route running. I’ve been fortunate to stay healthy and find ways to kind of be savvy enough to be skilled enough to still have an edge. Just be there to share my experiences, certainly on the field, communicate as a veteran player, and wherever that role evolves to.”