The Las Vegas Raiders surprised some people when they decided to cut wide receiver Cody White in favor of tight end Carter Runyon. Runyon had been on the Injured Reserve all season, and White had the third-most receiving yards of any wide receiver on the roster.
However, the Raiders already decided to change course. The team announced that White has been re-signed and Runyon has been waived.
Runyon joined the team last season as an undrafted free agent. He ended up playing in 13 games, but only had one catch. The Raiders might have the best tight end room in the NFL right now between Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas, so it was likely just difficult to find room for Runyon.
If he’s able to clear waivers, he’ll be a candidate to get on the practice squad. Runyon is sneaky athletic for a player of his size, so he could have some upside down the road. Thomas is only on a one-year contract. The Raiders could have plans for Runyon to be the TE3 next year, but they’ll need to get him back on the practice squad first. For White, it’s basically like he never had to leave at all.
Mayer Hoping to Keep Improving
Mayer was a highly regarded player coming out of Notre Dame. When the Raiders were able to get him in the second round, it was considered a big steal. His first three seasons were lackluster, mostly due to injuries, but he’s off to a career-best start.
He’s already hit career highs in receiving yards and receptions with eight games left to go. Mayer is still hoping to get better, but he’s happy with how he’s played thus far.
“It feels good,” Mayer said of having a good statistical season, per Raiders.com. “I feel like I sort of had the same mentality coming in every single day — put my head down, work hard, study and see where it takes me.
“I need to keep working on YAC — yards after catch — and, you know, I’ll keep doing my thing.”
Kolton Miller Praises Mayer
Left tackle Kolton Miller has been with Mayer his whole career. He’s had a rough go of it at times, but he’s remained a good teammate. Miller is happy to see his lockermate having a strong season.
“He has a great attitude every day,” Miller said. “He’s always saying, ‘What’s up? You want to hang out?’ But yeah, he comes to practice to work and you can’t ask for anything more. And it’s cool having him as my lockermate.
“He’s taking that next step. He’s just going to keep climbing, keep getting better. Yeah, I’m super happy for him. Looking forward to it.”
Mayer already has his contract extension, so he can play more freely. He’s going to form arguably the NFL’s best tight end duo with Bowers for years to come. As long as he can stay healthy, he’s clearly going to be an impact player for the Raiders. While the team has underwhelming wide receiver talent, the tight ends continue to pick up the slack.
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