Las Vegas Raiders may reshuffle the deck upfront along the offensive line

The Las Vegas Raiders went into the 2020 season with one of the better offensive lines in football, a veteran group who had played together the year before. For the Raiders, this was supposed to not only be a position of strength, but also a position of stability, as it boasted Pro Bowl talent, and one of the best centers in the league.

However, things quickly went sideways, as Trent Brown and Richie Incognito battled injuries for most of the season, and the team had to go with the reserves. Guys like Denzelle Good and John Simpson played well in place of the starters, and Rodney Hudson and Kolton Miller continued to play great football, but changes are likely coming in 2021.

As we inch closer to the new league year, the Raiders’ offensive line could look a lot different.

Raiders could part ways with Trent Brown

The first big domino to fall could be Trent Brown, who has taken to social media and posted some cryptic things about possibly being on his way out. Brown was brought in to form a strong tandem at offensive tackle with Miller for the foreseeable future, but he has only played in half the games due to injury.

While elite when available, he just has not been able to stay healthy, and with cap issues, the Raiders may part ways with him. Of course, having him back is a best-case scenario, but it is looking more and more likely that his days in the Silver and Black are numbered.

Two new starters at offensive guard?

At guard, the Raiders could also be making moves, as Incognito and Gabe Jackson could be cap casualties as well. Good played very well in place of Incognito last season and actually played guard and tackle, making him one of the more important free agents to bring back this offseason for Las Vegas.

If Jackson and Incognito go, that opens up a starting spot for Simpson and Good at the guard spots, but they will still need to address right tackle if Brown leaves. Overall, we could see only Miller and Hudson return as two of the five starters the Raiders went into the 2020 campaign hoping to lean on.

Keeping Derek Carr upright is one of the more important things for this franchise moving forward, so making sure they get it right along the offensive line is the top priority on offense this offseason. Hudson, Miller, Simpson, and Good are locks to be back if they can get Good back under contract, with everybody else up in the air.