The Las Vegas Raiders made a big announcement on Saturday regarding second-year tight end Michael Mayer.
They have officially activated the Notre Dame product from the reserve/non-football illness list, per NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The news indicates a big boost for the Raiders offense, which is looking to generate a more proficient effort under interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
Head coach Antonio Pierce spoke on Friday and discussed the importance of Mayer's role within the Silver and Black offense.
"Yeah obviously, he's always been a part of the plan first and foremost," Pierce told reporters. "But obviously with
losing people through injuries or trades, I think there's obviously an opportunity there for him. But really,
I think just getting him back to par with our team, obviously new offensive coordinator there with Scott Turner and just getting back in the fold, you want to be smart with it. You want to be smart. But obviously
Mike [Michael Mayer] is a big part of our plans this year, this week and the future. So, the more we can
get him involved, the better."
The Raiders face a Miami Dolphins team that is fresh off of defeating a Los Angeles Rams squad that might be good enough for the playoffs. The offense is looked to get jumpstarted this week with the new faces at the helm, but it is injury-riddled.
Pierce named key lineman that are unlikely to participate in Sunday's contest. It only makes Mayer's return all the more vital.
"We'll see today, but it doesn't look good for those two
gentlemen, Cody [Whitehair] and Andre [James]," Pierce said. "And at the end of the day, it's kind of been like our whole
season. Next man up, right? Next man up. But hopefully what we've seen with DJ Glaze and [Thayer]
Munford and Kolton Miller, I think Jordan Meredith we haven't talked enough about him, but Jordan's
done a hell of a job filling in, and the way he's been playing, he's earned the right to be a starter going
forward. So you feel comfortable with the guys you got there. You just hate that we keep changing all
these pieces along the offensive line, because at some point, you’d like just to have five guys there,
continuity, chemistry. That's really the glue to our team, when you can have that. So something we're
working on consistently."
