3 Reasons the Las Vegas Raiders could miss the playoffs again
By Brad Weiss
3 Reasons the Las Vegas Raiders could miss the playoffs again
Too many changes along the offensive line
Heading into the 2021 offseason, the offensive line was a unit that was seemingly set and did not need to be tinkered with. However, Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock decided to trade away Gabe Jackson, Trent Brown, and Rodney Hudson, while also releasing Richie Incognito.
The Silver and Black brought back Incognito and paid Andre James big money to take over for Hudson. In addition, they added Nick Martin to battle James for the starting center job, and the hope is that John Simpson and Denzelle Good can fill in opposite Incognito at the other guard spot.
During the 2021 NFL Draft, the Raiders selected Alex Leatherwood with the No. 17 overall pick, a move that was seen as a reach at that point. Even the members of ESPN’s telecast were shocked, and silent, which tells you everything you need to know about how they felt in terms of the selection.
However, news has come out that Leatherwood would not have fallen to the second round, and it appears Gruden and Mayock really liked him. He is replacing a 2019 Pro Bowler in Trent Brown and will be tasked with playing right tackle as a rookie in 2021, so you can expect at least a few growing pains, much like we saw in Kolton Miller in 2018.