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Oakland Raiders Training Camp: Helu on IR, Aldon Smith in Rehab

By Maurice Moton

September 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Aldon Smith (99) during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Ravens 37-33. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
September 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Aldon Smith (99) during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Ravens 37-33. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oakland Raiders tight end Clive Walford (88) during warm ups before the game against the Green Bay Packers at O.co Coliseum.
Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders tight end Clive Walford (88) during warm ups before the game against the Green Bay Packers at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Big Expectations for Tight End Clive Walford

Tight end Clive Walford returned to the practice field on the first day of training camp after sitting out OTAs and minicamp with a lacerated knee due to an ATV accident.

There’s some pressure on the second-year tight end to break out as an X-Factor within the offense. Del Rio spoke briefly about his assessment of the 2015 third-round pick:

"We feel good about the player he is and will become. Clive [Walford] was also able to begin work today. We see him as a real key player in our offense. [We’re] glad to have him back doing his thing."

Carr spoke about Walford’s work ethic and his drive to improve:

"Every day we come out to warm up, [Walford] comes straight to me and wants to catch. I can’t do it all by myself, grabbing him all the time. He has to say, ‘Derek come get me,’ because I have a million things on my mind. He does a real good job at grabbing me. That’s the kind of thing we need and that’s how he is."

Walford certainly has his mind in the right place to start training camp. With Cooper and Michael Crabtree at wide receiver, the Raiders could take the offense to the next level with a breakout tight end exploiting the seams and midfield matchups.

Oakland hopes to see his dynamic skill set on full display throughout the summer. If he’s able to start the season in sync with Carr, Bill Musgrave’s offense will compete in a score-a-thon against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.

Next: Four More Years

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