Raiders' offense has shown success even without key player
The Las Vegas Raiders have had some issues this year with one of their star players not playing. No, not on purpose, like he is sitting out to something of that nature, but just that he can't stay healthy. Yeah, Darren Waller, the newly paid tight end, cannot stay healthy this season. In fact, 7% […]
The Las Vegas Raiders have had some issues this year with one of their star players not playing. No, not on purpose, like he is sitting out to something of that nature, but just that he can't stay healthy.
Yeah, Darren Waller, the newly paid tight end, cannot stay healthy this season. In fact, 7% of all the offensive snaps this year have featured Waller, Adams, and Renfrow. That number could be higher, but Waller has been dealing with a hamstring injury.
But not having Waller hasn't affected the Raiders as much as you would think. Mainly because the backup tight end Foster Moreau has stepped in, and hasn't skipped a beat.
"Foster has done a really nice job," McDaniels said. "Foster is tough. Foster is unselfish, he's smart, he works really hard at it. Tight ends have to do a lot of things and some guys may have a little bit more of an area of strength. Darren is certainly a different type of player because of his speed. But tight ends have to block, they have to catch, they have to protect, and they're used all over the formation.
"Foster's skill set has allowed him to be productive in multiple ways. He's not just a blocker, he's not just a pass receiver. We've used him in protection and created big plays for others because he's doing his job. And he's a phenomenal teammate. Phenomenal. His parents did an incredible job of raising him and he's such a leader for us. He's not a captain, but he behaves like one, and our team follows him like that."
Foster hasn't quite replicated what we know Waller can do, but that is also not what he is being asked to do. That's not what he needs to do. He just needs to go out there and control what only he can control, and do his job.
So far, he has been doing just that.
Moreau is third on the team in receiving yards with 218. It just so happens he has the same average as Darren Waller at 10.9 yards per catch. Last week Moreau caught his first touchdown of the season.
The Las Vegas Raiders have an offense that works well with tight ends. Just imagine if Darren Waller was healthy, and how well he could do in this McDaniels offense.
Featured Image Via Corey Perrine / Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK
