Clive Walford looked like a possible breakout tight end heading into last season. The second-year player seemed to have the job to himself in an up-and-coming passing game in Oakland. But things didn't happen for him, and the Raiders signed Jared Cook in the offseason.
Cook will likely be the starter, and by all accounts he's had a strong preseason with the Raiders. But Cook has flashed in the preseason before, and yet he's never really lived up to the hype. The Raiders are his fourth team, after all.
Walford had a solid exhibition debut, catching all 3 passes thrown his way last night for 44 yards. Earlier in the offseason, GM Reggie McKenzie seemed to trace Walford's 2016 struggles to an ATV accident.
Walford was "hurt and not the same player last year," according to McKenzie. Indeed, at the University of Miami, Walford averaged 14.5 yards per catch. Last year he was down at 10.9, and he had only 3 receptions of 20-plus yards. Among tight ends who caught at least 20 passes last year, that was one of the lower figures in the league.
He'll likely be behind Cook, but who knows. If Cook disappoints again, Walford will get another chance.
Tight ends with 20-plus receptions last year, sorted by percentage of receptions of over 20 yards, are shown below.
| TIGHT ENDS, RECEPTIONS OF 20-PLUS YARDS 2016 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | 20+ | 40+ | Pct |
| Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 25 | 540 | 21.6 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 48.0% |
| Vernon Davis, Wash. | 44 | 583 | 13.3 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 25.0% |
| Vance McDonald, S.F. | 24 | 391 | 16.3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 25.0% |
| Coby Fleener, N.O. | 50 | 631 | 12.6 | 3 | 12 | 1 | 24.0% |
| Tyler Eifert, Cin. | 29 | 394 | 13.6 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 20.7% |
| Delanie Walker, Tenn. | 65 | 800 | 12.3 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 20.0% |
| Jared Cook, G.B. | 30 | 377 | 12.6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 20.0% |
| Hunter Henry, S.D. | 36 | 478 | 13.3 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 19.4% |
| Martellus Bennett, N.E. | 55 | 701 | 12.7 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 18.2% |
| Greg Olsen, Car. | 80 | 1073 | 13.4 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 17.5% |
| Travis Kelce, K.C. | 85 | 1,125 | 13.2 | 4 | 14 | 3 | 16.5% |
| Jimmy Graham, Sea. | 65 | 923 | 14.2 | 6 | 10 | 2 | 15.4% |
| Dion Sims, Mia. | 26 | 256 | 9.8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 15.4% |
| Eric Ebron, Det. | 61 | 711 | 11.7 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 14.8% |
| Lance Kendricks, L.A. | 50 | 499 | 10.0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 14.0% |
| Garrett Celek, S.F. | 29 | 350 | 12.1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 13.8% |
| Jordan Reed, Wash. | 66 | 686 | 10.4 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 13.6% |
| Kyle Rudolph, Minn. | 83 | 840 | 10.1 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 13.3% |
| Gary Barnidge, Clev. | 55 | 612 | 11.1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 12.7% |
| Zach Ertz, Phil. | 78 | 816 | 10.5 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 11.5% |
| Zach Miller, Chi. | 47 | 486 | 10.3 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 10.6% |
| Jason Witten, Dall. | 69 | 673 | 9.8 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10.1% |
| Julius Thomas, Jax. | 30 | 281 | 9.4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 10.0% |
| Antonio Gates, S.D. | 53 | 548 | 10.3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 9.4% |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz, Hou. | 54 | 559 | 10.4 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 9.3% |
| Virgil Green, Den. | 22 | 237 | 10.8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Cameron Brate, T.B. | 57 | 660 | 11.6 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 8.8% |
| Clive Walford, Oak. | 33 | 359 | 10.9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9.1% |
| Jack Doyle, Ind. | 59 | 584 | 9.9 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 8.5% |
| Ryan Griffin, Hou. | 50 | 442 | 8.8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8.0% |
| C.J. Uzomah, Cin. | 25 | 234 | 9.4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8.0% |
| Charles Clay, Buff. | 57 | 552 | 9.7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 7.0% |
| Richard Rodgers, G.B. | 30 | 271 | 9.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6.7% |
| Jesse James, Pitt. | 39 | 338 | 8.7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5.1% |
| Marcedes Lewis, Jax. | 20 | 169 | 8.4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.0% |
| Dennis Pitta, Balt. | 86 | 729 | 8.5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4.7% |
| Trey Burton, Phil. | 37 | 327 | 8.8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.7% |
| Jacob Tamme, At. | 22 | 210 | 9.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
--Andy Richardson