All eyes will be on the Raiders Offensive Line this fall .It’s no secret the Raiders have top level skill position players; Top three receiving targets in Adams, Waller, and Renfow combined with a quality group of RB that can create mismatches while keeping guys fresh. Carr is a lighting rod for criticism but he’s a top 15 QB at minimum. Carr is poised for his best season under Head Coach Josh McDaniels. The only thing keeping this team from a top 5 offense is the lingering questions about the O Line.
Tackles
Kolton Miller is a top Left Tackle and getting better each year. The Right Tackle position is another story. Alex Leatherwood and Brandon Parker are splitting early reps this off-season. Most of Raider Nation is screaming for a veteran Right Tackle to join the mix. It’s hard to blame them after watching the position last year. Leatherwood should get another chance to earn the job after switching positions during his uneven rookie year. New coaching and a system better fit for his skills help but the penalties need to be greatly reduced. Rookie Thayer Munford could be a year away but is versatile enough to earn a role.
Guards
After Week 1 of the 2021 season both starting guards were done for the year leaving the Raiders to scramble for the rest of the year. Denzelle Good is back from injury and trying to win one of the starting spots. John Simpson and Jermaine Eluemunor are returning to compete after mixed results last season. The key to this group is rookie Dylan Parham. Aside of a setback the belief is Parham is coming in to start and the sooner the better. Lester Cotton and Alex Bars are also in the mix.
Center
Andre James returns to start at Center for the Raiders. After a sluggish start to the year James settled in and offered quality play down the stretch. However, James was a favorite of the old regime. It will be interesting to see if he’s in the long term plans with a new staff. Veteran Hroniss Grasu was brought in to compete and possibly more. The rumor of Parham switching to Center is still out there but for now he is at guard.
Coaching
Carmen Bricillo is the new O Line coach replacing Tom Cable. Last year was his first year as a head offensive line coach in the NFL. With the New England Patriots Bricillo was able to briefly learn under the great Dante Scarnecchia. Attention to detail and limiting pre-snap penalties are the focus this year. The Raiders commit way too many false start penalties. Cleaning up the self inflicted wounds is the biggest task for Bricillo. The Raiders have been awful getting touchdowns in the red-zone. A large reason is constantly moving back 5 yards because of unnecessary mistakes. Combined with maximizing young talent like Leatherwood, Bricillo is a very important man this year for the Raiders. Along with Coach, Raider Nation will have all eyes on the Raiders offensive line.
Thank you for reading. For more follow me http://@BrianRobert85 and also check out my previous article about the AFC West https://gridironheroics.com/wide-open-afc-west-is-nfls-most-exciting-division/.