Raiders' Clive Walford: Wasn't same player in 2016

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie suggested Walford never fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered in an ATV accident last offseason, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Analysis:

A 2015 third-round selection, Walford didn't develop as expected in his second professional season, catching only 33 passes for 359 yards and three touchdowns (on 52 targets) in 15 games. The stat line closely mimicked his rookie-year production as he continued to split work with Mychal Rivera in a passing game that was highly reliant on its wideouts. Rivera departed for Jacksonville in free agency, but the Raiders seemingly made an upgrade with the signing of Jared Cook, who likely will enter training camp as the favorite to serve as the team's No. 1 tight end. Walford could still push for the job if he regains his explosiveness and impresses during the offseason program.