The Las Vegas Raiders have a superstar tight end in Darren Waller, but in coach Jon Gruden’s offense, that’s not enough.
Gruden is an advocate of the run game and utilizes multiple tight ends to knock the opponent backward, sometimes with three involved in a single play.
Of course, Gruden wants to keep the defense off-balance, too. Waller thrives as a pass-catcher, and other tight ends play a role depending on game conditions. Third-year TE Foster Moreau has emerged as the clear-cut No. 2 to Waller, and it’s because he can do it all, perhaps removing the need for so much specialization from the Raiders’ tight end group.
Gruden gave a glowing review of Moreau’s training camp thus far during media availability on Sunday, after the Raiders practiced at Allegiant Stadium.
“I’m not going to be Foster’s agent, but I wish I was. I love him. He’s perfect for how we want to play here,” Gruden said. “He can block inline, he can pass protect. He’s a football junkie. He’s one of the greatest kids I’ve ever coached.”
It’s not good enough to simply be a good blocking tight end for Gruden. His players have to be experts at multiple techniques, and the coach has rotated players depending on those particular strengths in the past. But Moreau possesses that versatility. Plus, he can catch, especially in the red zone. It adds up to a “perfect” score from Gruden.
Additionally, Moreau is fully recovered from what his coach called a “terrible” injury, an ACL tear in his knee suffered in December 2019. Perhaps related to the injury, Moreau was handed a reduced role last season after Las Vegas signed veteran Jason Witten. Witten is one of the best tight ends in NFL history, and Moreau happily took a back seat and learned all he could as his knee crept toward 100 percent.
Now, Gruden couldn’t be happier with his one-two punch at tight end, Waller and Moreau. “He and Waller give us a duo that is as good as any I’ve ever had,” Gruden concluded.
We know Waller can catch, but Moreau was an incredible surprise as a rookie when he hauled in five touchdowns on 21 receptions. Last season, he had two touchdowns on just seven catches. Finally, it appears Gruden is ready to unleash Moreau on the NFL, perhaps within the red zone in particular — as long as he knocks defensive linemen around (and upsidedown) on Sundays.