Gaither gives the Raiders some much needed help at tackle. The right side of the line has been one of the bigger weaknesses in recent years with the likes of Cornell Green and Langston Walker taking turns not to mention the occasional Khalif Barnes and Mario Henderson sightings on the right side of the O-line.

The biggest concern is Gaither’s health after he missed all of last season with a neck injury. It will be interesting to see what kind of a contractual commitment the Raiders made to their newest addition.

Standing 6’9” and tipping the scales at 340+ pounds, Gaither gives Oakland two pillars on opposing sides with the 6’8” Jared Veldheer penciled in at left tackle. There has been some speculation that Veldheer could give way to Gaither on the left but that remains to be seen. Much of that will obviously depend on how he performs in camp.

Expect the offensive line battles to be the most competitive in camp.

Update: Drew Rosenhaus Tweets the following mere minutes after the reports of Gaither coming to terms .

Jared Gaither has not agreed to contract terms with the Raiders.

Gaither is familiar with Hue Jackson as the two did time together in Baltimore during Jackson’s tenure as a QB coach. The immediate red flag is that Gaither sat out all of last season due to a back injury. There’s no telling what kind of condition he’s in due in large part to the injury but also the lengthy lockout so that has got to be a cause for concern.

Still, the Raiders desperately need to do something with the right tackle position. Taking the gamble on Gaither looks infinitely better than running free agent Mario Henderson or the unknowingly retired Langston Walker back onto the field in 2011.
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If the Raiders are going to build on their 8 wins in 2010 then they’ve got to start with the foundation – the offensive line. Having a competent quarterback means nothing if Jason Campbell isn’t able to get into his drop without the constant fear of seeing opposing pass rushers in his grill all day long on Sundays. Having a healthy Darren McFadden and a productive Michael Bush means nothing if there is nobody up front opening holes and getting downfield to create running lanes.

In short, the Raiders will only go as far as the O-line carries them.

The Tennessee Titans quickly exposed the weakest link on the roster in last season’s painful opener. From there things slowly improved and it is not coincidence that the improvement followed when Jared Veldheer inherited the left tackle job.

Perhaps if it weren’t for the head scratching experiment with Veldheer at center, the rookie would have made a more seamless transition from small college ball to the pros. None the less the 6’8” rookie steadily improved as the year progressed and has etched his name in stone as the starting left tackle.

But beyond Veldheer the rest of the line is one big question mark.
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