Is the offensive line the Las Vegas Raiders biggest red flag?
By Brad Weiss
In a recent piece by Bleacher Report, the Raiders offensive line was seen as the biggest red flag, but is that really the case heading into 2021?
It has been a crazy offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders, who have revamped their roster once again with the hope of making the playoffs. While some stars return, like Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller, and Derek Carr on offense, Maxx Crosby, Trayvon Mullen, and Cory Littleton on defense, there are many new faces.
Heading into the offseason, the offensive line was supposed to be set, but that was before they traded away Rodney Hudson, Trent Brown, and Gabe Jackson. That left the team with plenty of holes up front, but they have filled them the best they could, including first-round pick Alex Leatherwood, and the combination of Nick Martin and Andre James at center.
Recently, the talented Kristopher Knox put together a list of one red flag for each NFL team, and for the Silver and Black, it was the offensive line. Sure, the Raiders have some changes up front along the offensive line and have to replace an elite player in Rodney Hudson, but the other side of the ball should have Raider Nation worrying.
Raiders biggest flags are on defense
In the piece, Knox explains that the Raiders did improve in the pass rush, which is an accurate statement. They added Malcolm Koonce and Yannick Ngakoue, bolstering a position group that already includes Crosby, Clelin Ferrell, and Carl Nassib.
However, the interior of the defensive line has plenty of question marks, the linebacker group needs to take another step forward, and the secondary has issues as well. Gus Bradley has been known to work wonders with the defensive backfield, but outside of the likes of Mullen, Casey Hayward, and Karl Joseph, who has actually shown they belong at the NFL level.
Trevon Moehrig is an exciting prospect, and Johnathan Abram has potential, but there are more question marks in the defensive backfield than any other place on this roster.
Overall, I like the Raiders’ moves on defense, but the fact remains that the biggest red flags are on that side of the ball. Did they do enough at cornerback? Only time will tell, but if the Raiders are to finally get to the playoffs, the defense must improve in a big way.