The Oakland Raiders rolled the dice on offensive guard RichieIncognito this offseason, and he proved that he has a lot left in the tank.
The Oakland Raiders signed offensive guard Richie Incognito in late May of 2019, and it was just another big free agent signing with a lot of red flags around it. The Raiders signed guys like Incognito, Antonio Brown, and Vontaze Burfict this past offseason, but in many ways, Incognito was the one I was the most worried about.
This signing was before Brown wanted out of Oakland, and for Incognito, he had spent an entire year outside of the NFL. In addition, he had some wild stories from his past in terms of off the field issues, including a pretty scary one involving a funeral home, as well as an incident with a teammate in Miami that caused him to be suspended.
However, once Incognito put on the Silver and Black, it was clear that he was born to be a Raider, and became a leader along this offensive line in Year 1. He looked all the part of his former Pro Bowl self, starting 12 games for the Raiders, and showing the kind of dominant presence that once made him one of the more feared offensive guards in the league.
According to the Associated Press, Incognito had only five blown blocks in over 740 snaps, which was by fare the best rate of any offensive lineman who qualified with at least 200 snaps. After re-signing Incognito, head coach Jon Gruden beamed with how much it will mean to the team moving forward, as he will remain a part of one of the more dominant offensive lines in football.
As the organization moves to Las Vegas, they have their entire offensive line from 2019 coming back, and the group as a whole did a tremendous job of protecting Derek Carr last season. At 37-years old, Incognito seems to have a lot left in the tank, and over the next two seasons, he will continue to pancake people wearing the Silver and Black.
This was quite a move by Mike Mayock