Head coach Jon Gruden made it crystal clear blocking tight ends are vital to his Raiders offense.
“You need a blocking tight end,” Gruden said at the NFL Scouting Combine, “if you’re going to slam the ball with a beast.”
Gruden secured two.
He signed free agent Derek Carrier on Tuesday, not as a replacement for Lee Smith. He’s a supplement.
That was proven when Smith agreed on terms of a new three-year contract, a league source told NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday morning.
Smith was originally signed before the 2015 season, and has been a key member of the blocking corps.