Kolton Miller is vital to Oakland Raiders success in 2019

The Oakland Raiders are very high on offensive tackle Kolton Miller, and he will be vital to the team’s success during the 2019 NFL season.

One of the bigger moves during the 2019 offseason so far for the Oakland Raiders was bringing in Trent Brown, who won a Super Bowl as the starting left tackle for the New England Patriots last season. In Brown, the Raiders were fixing a serious issue on the roster, as they had only one legitimate starting offensive tackle heading into the Spring.

While Brown starred as a left tackle last season, he is actually an elite right tackle, and that is where the Raiders plan to use him in 2019, at least to start. When the team rolled out their starting offensive line during the OTAs, Brown was on the right side, with second-year offensive tackle Kolton Miller on the left.

When the Raiders drafted Miller in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, many people thought it was a bit of a reach. However, head coach Jon Gruden loved him, and put him on the left side to start camp, and never moved him, even when Donald Penn was healthy enough to return.

Miller struggled with injuries in 2018, but battled through it, showing the kind of grit that you want from a starting left tackle. With Brown in the fold for 2019, there will be a lot less pressure on Miller, who had to deal with another rookie starting on the right side in Brandon Parker last season, a guy who should not be a starter at the NFL level.

This offseason, the Raiders have done a tremendous job bringing in a ton of new weapons for quarterback Derek Carr, but it will only work if he has time to let plays develop downfield. Carr found himself under pressure nearly every time he dropped back last season, leading to a lot of check downs.

In Miller and Brown, Carr should have much better protection on the edge, and Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson, and Richie Incognito are a solid trio in the middle. Overall, this is an offensive line that is much-improved, but Miller will be the key to this thing working in 2019.

When healthy, Miller showed that he can certainly handle being a starting left tackle at the NFL level, and he looks even stronger in 2019. If he has a solid season, and with the addition of Brown, this Raiders offensive tackle tandem could be one of the best in the AFC.