Raiders: Will the Andre James era continue moving forward?

With former Raiders C Rodney Hudson entering the next chapter of his pro career, third-year center Andre James was chosen to take over in the middle of the offensive line.

From 2015 to the end of the ’20 season, the Las Vegas Raiders had an All-Pro at center; Rodney Hudson. In March of 2021, the team captain manning the center position requested them to move on to the next chapter of his pro career. Mike Mayock, who served as the general manager for the Silver and Black during this time, honored his request to find a new team by trading Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals.

Replacing Hudson was something Las Vegas knew would be difficult – Impossible, really. Mayock and the then head coach Jon Gruden had someone in mind, though, and he was already on the roster.

And so, the Andre James era began.

James wasn’t the only offensive lineman on the team to get his chance after the ’20 starter was traded, either. Both right guard Gabe Jackson and right tackle Trent Brown were shipped to a new destination as well, giving the Raiders an entirely new look on the right side of the line, matching the team’s first-year starting center.

Is the Andre James era something we can expect to live in moving forward?

Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock were fond of the third-year Raider, but that doesn’t mean the new head coach and general manager tandem of Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler feel the same. After all, James did have some outright horrible moments last year, most notably at the beginning of the season.