Derek Carrier has been around the NFL awhile, but he’s rarely had the spotlight.
Yet on Sunday, in the Raiders’ 24-21 victory over the Steelers at home, the journeyman 28-year-old tight end from little Beloit College was a star performer.
Carrier, who came into the league in 2012 and is now with his fifth team, caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr on a fourth-and-6 with 25 seconds left in the game for the winning score.
It was just Carrier’s second touchdown, in his 63rd NFL game and only his 43rd catch.
“It’s up there for sure, it was exciting,” Carrier told reporters after the game, when asked if it ranks as his best moment in the NFL. “That play got called and me and D.C. (Carr) just smiled at each other. We’ve been working on that one for a while and it was just exciting.”
The play specifically was called for Carrier as the No. 1 option, with Carrier lining up on the left side. At the snap, Carrier moved out toward the left flat. He then planted his foot and curled back to the inside, where Carr hit him perfectly and Carrier walked into the end zone between two defenders for the TD.
“Really, it’s just selling the (route to the) flat, especially when it’s a short-yardage play like that,” said Carrier. “The defense doesn’t want to get out-flanked, and get a quick, easy touchdown to the front pylon. So it’s really just selling the flat and then being as quick as you can in transition coming back inside.”
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It was Carrier’s first TD catch since early in the 2015 season when he was with Washington. Carrier began his career with Philadelphia in 2012, then moved to San Francisco, Washington, the Los Angeles Rams and now the Raiders. He has seven catches this season for 67 yards.
With Jared Cook having a terrific season as Oakland’s No. 1 tight end, Carrier isn’t getting many opportunities as a receiver. But Carr says he’s talented.
“I actually missed him on that same play against Denver, in Denver (earlier this season),” Carr said. “He could’ve scored again, and it was my fault, I made a mistake on a call, but I told him, I hugged him after and said, ‘I owed you one for the one against Denver.’ We always have that confidence, he just doesn’t get a lot of plays his way. … The guy is a heck of a player.”
The Raiders, now 3-10, will travel to Cincinnati later this week to take on the 5-8 Bengals. Kickoff Sunday is set for 10 a.m.
