MINNEAPOLIS -- The Raiders asked Mychal Rivera to perform several different jobs last season, whether it played to his strengths or not. Be an in-line blocker in the run game. Protect the quarterback. Run sharp routes, catch passes and move the chains. As the one consistently healthy tight end, Rivera had to do it all.
The Raiders lost David Ausberry, Brian Leonhardt and practice squad player Scott Simonson at times, leaving Rivera to man an incredibly thin position group.
The Raiders went in search of reinforcements. They added massive blocking tight end Lee Smith in free agency, which would help the tight end division of labor.