Las Vegas Raiders: 5 musts for the offense to succeed in 2021

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HENDERSON, NEVADA – JULY 29: Andre James #68 of the Las Vegas Raiders is shown during training camp at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on July 29, 2021, in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images) /

Las Vegas Raiders: 5 musts for the offense to succeed in 2021

3. Andre James must be who the Raiders think he is

It’s not every day that you see a team trade away a dominant offense of lineman that is still in his early 30’s but the Raiders did just that by sending center Rodney Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals. Hudson was a three-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders and was a Second-Team All-Pro as recently as 2019.

Some of the advanced metrics suggested that he started to struggle in the run game last year but he was elite as usual in the passing game.

The departure of Hudson opened the door for Andre James to complete his transition from undrafted offensive tackle to starting center. James began this transition as soon as he signed with the Raiders who have seen him as the future of that position for a few years and rewarded him with a big contract this off-season.

We can certainly expect a drop-off from the elite play of Rodney Hudson but James must be at least solid for this offense to succeed. In terms of difficulty, many say that center is the easiest position to play physically but the most difficult mentally because of the responsibilities handled at the line of scrimmage.

James is not a rookie but this will be his first season of meaningful game action and if he struggles, then the rest of the offense likely will as well. If he succeeds however, then this will be a massive win for the Raiders and their player development staff and of course to the offense as a whole.

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