Cook leads improved tight-end corps
If you can’t beat them, enlist them.
In this case, we’re talking about tight ends. The Raiders have not often been able to cover them in Jack Del Rio’s two years as head coach, so they grabbed one off the freeagent market.
Presto! They don’t have to worry about covering Jared Cook ever again.
In all seriousness, Oakland plans to give opponents a taste of their own medicine. The tight ends have been the stars of training camp, with Derek Carr often throwing to his new 6-foot-5, 254-pound target; Lee Smith, Clive Walford and Gabe Holmes have looked very good as well.
“We haven’t really gotten our tight-end position going as much as I’d like,” Del Rio said. “I think we’ve really addressed that. I think you’re going to see a team that can utilize the tightend position more in their offensive plan and attack.
“Jared Cook opens up a lot of possibilities and Clive being in much better shape and healthier than he’s been, probably in a while, helps.”
Walford, the team’s thirdround pick in 2015, was involved in an ATV accident last offseason and was not quite right in 2016. Cook was available on the free-agent market longer than the Raiders anticipated, and though he wasn’t on the original wish list, they quickly put him on it.
Carr has been ecstatic about his new toy.
“When you add a guy like Jared Cook that runs a 4.3 or a 4.4 and he can outrun DBs on go-routes, (you) can throw him out wide and run different kinds of routes with him,” Carr said. “We can do that kind of stuff because he is that talented.”
After missing six games with an ankle injury last season, Cook led the Packers in the playoffs with 18 catches and 229 yards (with two touchdowns) in three games. His catch on the sideline to set up the gamewinning field goal against Dallas will be remembered for years to come.
It’s pretty obvious: Having Cook will change the way the defense covers wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.
“It should,” Carr said, “but if it doesn’t, he should catch a lot of footballs.”
Cook has compared Carr to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers when it comes to ball placement and grasp of an offense, but the Raiders’ tightend class might be unique.
“We have the enforcer in Lee, and Clive is very talented, has made a lot of catches at camp,” Cook said. “I think the only people that can stop us (are) ourselves.”
Which is kind of what Walford did last season.
“His butt stayed off dirt bikes this offseason,” Smith said.
Last season, Walford said he was fine, but now says the knee injury affected his cut-making ability and in the back of his mind, he knew his knee wasn’t as strong as it had been in the past.
“I am a big bruiser, but I like to watch Jared and learn from him, and so has Clive,” Smith said. “It’s great for all the young guys to watch a pass-catcher like Jared. Clive has absorbed it. One thing I will give Clive credit for is he leans on me a lot and he leans on Jared a lot.
“He is blocking better, he is catching the ball better, he is moving better and he is becoming a dang good ballplayer.”
The Raiders should have no problem topping last year’s 580 yards from the tight-end position. New offensive coordinator Todd Downing has pledged to attack the field with the pass this season.
“You have to be able to do that on the inside part of the field, too,” Downing said, “and a lot of the times that’s where the tight ends line up.”
Smith, a honorary offensive lineman, even caught a deep pass over the middle this week at training camp. It’s contagious.
“Adding Jared was huge,” Smith said. “There is a lot of talent in the tight-end room. Jared is a matchup nightmare. Linebackers can’t cover him and he is too big for safeties. When you are a matchup nightmare, you make a lot of plays, you make a lot of money and you stay in the league a long time.
“This is his ninth year in the league, so there you go.” Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur