The Oakland Raiders placed Lee Smith on the reserve/injured list Wednesday afternoon, all but ending the veteran tight end’s second season as a Raider just four games into the regular season.
Through the first quarter of 2016, Smith caught six passes for 29 yards, and while his stats might not necessarily pop off the stat sheet, his value to the offense both in the run game and pass protection is hard to overstate.
Plain and simple, his loss is a big one that will be felt by the entire offense, and the void he now leaves will take several players to fill.