Oakland Raiders offensive line becoming one of the NFL’s best

September 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Austin Howard (77) blocks Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil (58) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Ravens 37-33. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Austin Howard

Howard has been moved back to his natural position of tackle, and it’s paying off. Howard is the second overall rated right tackle in the league (7th among all tackles) with a grade of +3.6. With a Pass Blocking grade of +3.8, Howard is doing his part in protecting Derek Carr. He has +.2 grade in Run Blocking, something I think is hindered be the fact that he is stationed next to the only weak link of the Raiders offensive line in J’Marcus Webb.

J’Marcus Webb

Webb is a converted tackle learning the ropes of being a guard after replacing the injured Menelik Watson who is out for the season on the IR. He has shown a decent ability in pass protection grabbing a -.4 grade (remember 0.0 is average). So he isn’t scoring off the chart, he hasn’t allowed a sack or a hit all season. His Run Blocking is the lowest at -2.8. This does put him in the bottom half of the league, but remember, he has only played guard in 3 games. The fact that he’s hanging in there like he is shows promise and hopefully OL coach Mike Tice can groom him to be less of a liability as the season progresses.

Next: Offensive Line Breakdown: Final Thoughts