Safety Tyvon Branch and the Oakland Raiders have agreed to terms on a four-year contract, the team announced Saturday.
Branch, a 6-foot, 210-pound veteran from Connecticut, is entering his fifth NFL season. A 2011 Pro Bowl alternate, he has started 48 straight games entering 2012, having last missed a contest in 2008, as a rookie.
Branch, 25, has six career takeaways (three interceptions, three fumble recoveries) and his team is 6-0 in those games. The team is 5-1 when he records a sack. In 56 NFL games, Branch has 347 career tackles (267 solo), six sacks, 16 passes defensed and three forced fumbles.
Selected by the Raiders as the first of two choices in the fourth round (100th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft, Branch led Oakland in tackles each of the last two seasons, and topped the 100-tackle mark for a third straight year in 2011.
Raiders rookies and veterans report for training camp in Napa, Calif., July 29 and begin practice July 30. The team opens the preseason on ESPN Monday Night Football Aug. 13 at home against the Dallas Cowboys. Oakland also opens the regular season on Monday Night Football, Sept. 10, at home vs. San Diego.
