Oakland Raiders 2011 Predictions: Raiders' Tight End Solutions Post-Zach Miller

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The Raiders are in trouble.

Zach Miller skipped town to join the Seahawks and now are without any legitimate tight ends on their roster.

Only four players are currenlty listed at tight ends, including one, David Ausberry, who was drafted as a wide receiver.

Only one has any NFL experience and none project to be a starting level tight end. The Raiders likely need to look outside to find a replacement tight end but here is quick breakdown of who the Raiders currently have.

Richard Gordon

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Gordon was a Raiders sixth round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He attended the University of Miami where he caught ten passes in his entire college career. He must have had quite the combine or workout day to bump himself into the sixth round.

Again, Gordon has no experience, at any level.

David Ausberry

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Ausberry was drafted as a wide receiver in the seventh round out of USC in the last NFL draft. Ausberry is 6’4” and 233lbs so he could play the tight end position, but his speed would probably be limited.  This guy is also a rookie and to put him in an unfamiliar position might be a bit too much for a seventh-round pick.

Kevin Brock

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Brock has spent time on the Panthers, Jets, Steelers, Bears, Cowboys, and now the Raiders. He spent time on the practice squads of each of those teams, but has never caught a pass as a professional. He was undrafted in 2009 after playing collegiately at Rutgers. He’s a big guy at 6’5” but he’s got absolutely no experience show it would be really hard to depend on him.

Brandon Meyers

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The “seasoned veteran” of the Raiders TE corps, Meyers has caught an NFL pass. 16 catches in fact, for 99 yards, although he is yet to find the end zone.  Meyers has way more game experience than any other Raiders tight end.

FYI he's the one on the right, though Seabass or Shane might be better TE options.

Raiders Need to Pursue Kevin Boss

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The Raiders will need to find a real tight end for the upcoming season. One named that’s been bandied about is unrestricted free agent Kevin Boss, formerly of the NY Giants. Last season Boss caught 35 passes for 531 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The Raiders will not survive without a TE with some NFL experience, and signing Boss would be a quality move.