Hopefully everyone is out enjoying them some sunny Bay Area weather, or wherever you are this fine summer Saturday. There are a few Raiders players who have probably already begun enjoying their offseason break. While others continue to grind preparing for the season which is now 85 days away. And with that, we look at the man who currently owns the number 85 in Silver & Black.
TE Ryan O’Malley
O’Malley joined the Raiders last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Pennsylvania. Though he was released in the team’s final cutdowns, he impressed enough to be brought back into the fold on the practice squad.
Midway through the season, Lee Smith was lost to injury and the team called up O’Malley from the practice squad. He was on the active roster for a month and a half, but activated on game day just once before being waived and placed back on the practice squad for the remainder of the season.
Injuries to Lee and Gabe Holmes before that were how he saw action last year. Should they remain healthy, O’Malley’s climb will be a bit more steep.
Who wore it best: DT Carleton Oats (1965-72)
Oats was drafted by the Raiders in the 21st round in 1964 and played 8 seasons for the Raiders. That's pretty good for players in 60s. It's also pretty good for a player who was the 167th overall pick - that's the equivalent of a fifth round pick in today's NFL. He appeared in 103 regular season games, and 9 playoff games. His first trip to the playoffs came in 1967 and he helped the Raiders reach Super Bowl II where they would fall to the juggernaut Green Bay Packers.
The following three seasons, Oats was the team's every day starter and the Raiders made trips to the playoffs every one of those seasons, and win a playoff games each time before falling short of the Super Bowl. Like all defenders in those days, there are no official tackle or sack stats to go on.
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