Las Vegas Raiders offensive line best in NFL according to PFF
Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 offensive lines in the NFL on long passing plays and the Las Vegas Raiders are number one
Las Vegas Raiders fans already know how good the offensive line was in 2019. The unit featured perennial Pro Bowlers Trent Brown and Richie Incognito and the man considered by many to be the best center in the game in Rodney Hudson. The Raiders have invested big money in the unit in recent years and it has certainly paid off with the performance in 2019.
The Raiders also spent some draft capital when they selected LT Kolton Miller 15th overall in 2018 and he has grown from an uncertain rookie to a possible Pro Bowler in 2020. With all of this talent in the same unit it is no wonder that it is the envy of many teams around the league, especially ones with quarterbacks who have taken gobs of punishment in recent years.
Raiders offensive line ranked No. 1 in football
Well this envy from other teams should grow just a bit more after PFF released their rankings of the best offensive lines “on plays where the quarterback holds the ball longer than normal” coming in to 2020.
According to PFF the Raiders were 5th in the NFL in that stat in 2019 and due to the fact that all five starters are returning and the projected improvement of Miller, they are expected to be number one in 2020.
PFF’s justification for the Raiders projected ranking reads:
"Anchored by Rodney Hudson — the best center in the NFL — the Raiders lead our rankings. The team hasn’t lost a starter from their very good 2019 unit, and since continuity matters, that’s enough of a reason for us to put them in the top spot. Their only weak link, left tackle Kolton Miller, improved significantly in 2019 and can be expected to further improve to some extent. If everything goes well, there should be no excuses for Derek Carr in 2020.Source: PFF"
The continuity at all five positions will be a strength for the Raiders in 2020 especially in this shortened offseason with limited team activities. None of the projected starters will need to learn the offense from scratch and the veteran backups like Denzelle Good and Eric Kush have experience to make up for any lack of knowledge of the offense.
Rookies like John Simpson should have plenty of time to pick things up and even if called upon early, will have the rest of the unit to lean on.
This brings us to the next strength of this unit, the depth. All five starters are worthy of the role with three of them having played at a Pro Bowl level in the past. Beyond those five, all of the current backups with the exception of Simpson have started multiple games at the NFL level. The unit is truly the envy of many teams in the NFL and from top to bottom is the best unit on the team.
Next. 3 Las Vegas Raiders listed in PFF's Top-150 fantasy players. dark
They say that NFL games are won primarily in the trenches and while there are question marks about the quality of the Raiders’ defensive line, the offensive line is ready to carry the team forward. Derek Carr and the Raiders offense should have all the time they need to make magic and it is all thanks to the big guys holding it down in the trenches.