Las Vegas Raiders starters that could be benched in 2022
By Alex Perl
Las Vegas Raiders starters that could be benched in 2022
Andre James
The assumption that Andre James would be a success right off the bat was something only the previous regime believed in.
James had the daunting task of replacing one of the greatest Raider centers in history in Rodney Hudson. In his five seasons as starting center, Hudson was a 3x Pro Bowler and was consistently the most important offensive lineman on the Raiders.
Without hardly any experience to his name, the Raiders signed James last season to an extension, while moving Hudson in a trade to the Arizona Cardinals. The move was a head-scratcher. However, head coach Jon Gruden believed in James and was adamant that the former undrafted UCLA product would be a sufficient enough replacement for Hudson.
After a disastrous 2021 season for James and the Raider offensive line as nearly a whole, it seems that James may not be the player that Gruden thought him to be. The Raiders did not “technically” address the center position this offseason, but they did select Dylan Parham with their first selection in the draft in the third round.
Parham is on the depth chart as a guard, and this is where he has been practicing thus far with the Raiders; however, he has played some center in college, and his ability to shift between nearly any offensive line position is enticing. The fact Parham has some experience at the center position may just play a role in supplanting the incumbent in James.
This may be a slight reach, considering that Parham is only a rookie and more than likely to usurp one of the open guard positions, but with James’s play so shaky thus far, the Raiders may just use Parham in the meantime to give more stability at the center position.
Going into the season as it stands, James is clearly the starter. But do not be shocked to see Parham get a run at center if the struggles of James continue in his second full season as a starter.