Oakland Raiders Held Hostage by Offensive Line

September 14, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders guard Austin Howard (77) against Houston Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed (58) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Texans defeated the Raiders 30-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Make the Switch

Austin Howard was one of the top free agents last offseason because he was a budding star at the right tackle position. Then the Raiders signed him to a big contract and moved him to guard so 2013 2nd-round pick Menelik Watson could play right tackle. Howard has struggled mightily, giving up a few sacks on not getting any push when trying to run block.

In fact, Howard gets pushed back by those big, nasty defensive tackles and please don’t ask him to pull because he’s not good at it. He doesn’t get around to where he’s supposed to be fast enough and he usually doesn’t hit anyone on the play. He’s a big-time right tackle and should be moved back there as Watson is struggling at right tackle and perhaps isn’t ready yet.