Oakland Raiders: Looking into the Future, Part V

Welcome back Raider Nation!

This week, we will be focusing on a simpler topic in our series, considering it's a position that seems well secure, the tight end.

In the Raiders' history, this position held one of two things for us, either a working third receiver, or, in a pinch, an extra blocker to give the QB more time to find someone open downfield. Some of the greats to mention would be Dave Casper, a Hall of Famer, or Todd Christensen, who was with the Raiders for two Super Bowls.

As the 1990s started, the Raiders continued to find interesting players, some who weren't actually TE's, but converted nicely enough.

Ethan Horton, originally a RB, was converted after joining the Raiders in 1987—out a year then back in 1989, switched and was with the team until 1993. By 1994, Andrew Glover had worked his way into the starting role, but by 1997, he had moved on to the Vikings.

In his place, Ricky Dudley started filling in, and again, by 2001, he was off to Cleveland. Roland Williams, Doug Jolley and Courtney Anderson finished out the stretch with assistance from Teyo Johnson and Randal Williams covering parts of seasons.

So, for the record, you either have a TE who lasts a long time with the team or one that spends about 3-4 years and then wears out his welcome because he can't catch or can't block or sometimes both.

Right now, Oakland has a 2nd year standout in Zach Miller, and the general feeling is that this is the answer to our problems at TE for years to come. He can catch, block well, and gives our QB a quick out, if trouble arises.

In two seasons, he's had 100 catches, and some feel, if Oakland had a decent pocket for the QB, he'd probably have more. Miller, to that end, should benefit if he's used properly as an extra WR, rather than as a needed blocker.

Tony Stewart, the other Oakland option isn't even a blip on the radar. He had 11 catches for 81 yards—that's less than a catch per game and an average of only 6.8 yards per game. Stewart, by most standards is now a special teams option, if that.

Looking forward, I can see Zach Miller with the club for another good six to eight years  or more if he can get past the injury bugs.

We've enjoyed two of the best tight ends in football...here's to hoping Miller can be the third.