Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels.
Training camp is closing in for the Las Vegas Raiders, which means there could be some roster movement in the coming weeks. Rookies are reporting on July 20 and veterans will arrive on July 25. One of the interesting position groups to watch will be tight end.
The team will likely only keep three on the active roster once the season starts and rookie second-round pick Michael Mayer is the only tight end who is guaranteed to keep a roster spot. Austin Hooper, O.J. Howard, Jesper Horsted and John Samuel Shenker will all be fighting for two roster spots. Hooper will be the favorite to get one of them as he’s a two-time Pro Bowler. In a July 1 column, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested that Howard could be on the outside looking in.
“To secure a roster spot, Howard will have to prove he’s one of the three best tight end options, ahead of players like the returning Jesper Horsted and undrafted rookie John Samuel Shenker, and perhaps show that he can contribute on special teams,” Knox wrote.
“It’s perhaps an unfamiliar position for the 2017 first-round pick, who has 56 career starts on his resume. After catching only 10 passes for 145 yards with the Houston Texans last season, however, Howard could be fighting just to stick in Las Vegas in the coming weeks.”
Jesper Horsted or O.J. Howard?
The battle for the last tight end spot on the roster is most likely to be between Jesper Horsted and O.J. Howard. The former was an undrafted free agent while the latter was a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The odds are certainly in Howard’s favor. He has 129 career catches and 17 touchdowns while Horsted only has 13 catches with three touchdowns.
What helps Horsted is that he was with the Raiders last year and has a head start on the offense. That could be enough for him to beat out Howard. It will certainly be an interesting battle to watch.
Dave Ziegler High on Michael Mayer
Austin Hooper is the most proven tight end on the roster. He has at least 40 catches in five of the last six seasons. However, Michael Mayer is the future at tight end for the Raiders. If he’s looking ready to make an impact in training camp, the team won’t hesitate to give him significant playing time. General manager Dave Ziegler was surprised the Raiders were able to get the former Notre Dame standout in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He is very high on Mayer and thinks he can be a high-level player.
“We thought he would go in the first round,” Ziegler told SiriusXM NFL Radio in a May 23 interview. “He can get open from a lot of different alignments, and he got open against a lot of different players, whether it was a corner, safety or linebacker. He has a special trait where he has some short-area quickness at the top of the route and some savvy as to how he sets up his route for a young player. It allows him to get open often. He was often the best offensive player on the field, no matter who they were playing.”