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Las Vegas Raiders: Big surprises from initial 53-man roster

By Alexander Monfreda

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: Guard Lester Cotton Sr. #67 of the Las Vegas Raiders gives his gloves to a fan after the team's 23-6 victory over the New England Patriots in a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - AUGUST 26: Guard Lester Cotton Sr. #67 of the Las Vegas Raiders gives his gloves to a fan after the team's 23-6 victory over the New England Patriots in a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium on August 26, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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HENDERSON, NEVADA – AUGUST 23: Offensive tackle Jackson Barton #78, quarterback Derek Carr #4, and guard John Simpson #76 warm up during a joint practice with the New England Patriots at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on August 23, 2022, in Henderson, Nevada. The Patriots and Raiders will play a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 26. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
HENDERSON, NEVADA – AUGUST 23: Offensive tackle Jackson Barton #78, quarterback Derek Carr #4, and guard John Simpson #76 warm up during a joint practice with the New England Patriots at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center on August 23, 2022, in Henderson, Nevada. The Patriots and Raiders will play a preseason game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 26. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Las Vegas Raiders: Big surprises from the initial 53-man roster

8 Offensive Linemen

Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be too surprising. In fact, 8 offensive linemen are practically the norm. That said, the Raiders offensive line is anything but normal.

This O-line is so far from normal, that the team still hasn’t even penciled in their starting right tackle.

Let me break it down: In 2021, the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line was ranked 28th per Pro Football Focus. This means only four teams were stated to have a worse offensive line – The Dolphins, Panthers, Giants, and Texans.

This offseason, Miami went out and grabbed the best tackle on the market, Terron Armstead. The ‘Fins also managed to grab former Cowboy Connor Williams on a two-year deal.

Carolina brought in a new starting center, as well as the highly-coveted guard Austin Corbett from the Super Bowl champions. The team also selected tackle Ikem Ekwonu with the sixth-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

New York [Giants] added Colts’ guard Mark Glowinski and former Raider Jon Feliciano to their starting line, as well as drafted college standout Evan Neal with the seventh-overall pick.

Finally, Houston grabbed A.J. Cann and drafted versatile offensive lineman Kenyon Green – who I had marked as the Raiders’ pick in round one before the Davante Adams trade – with their fifteenth-overall selection.

Who have the Raiders added to their offensive line this offseason? Leston Cotton, who was on the Raiders’ practice squad last season. Given he was part of the organization in 2021, this hardly constitutes as a pickup at all. Additionally, the Silver and Black gave roster spots to fourth-round pick Dylan Parham and seventh-rounder Thayer Munford.

The harsh truth is, that Las Vegas has done little to nothing to fix this line. Don’t expect the team to bring in a free agent either as the front office isn’t too fond of anyone available.

Given all four of the teams with an O-line ranked lower than the Raiders in 2021 prioritized the unit this offseason, it’s completely fair to state each of those four squads has now leaped over Las Vegas. Does that necessarily mean the Raiders will have the worst line in the league? No, it doesn’t, but it sure isn’t a reason to keep only 8 offensive linemen this season.

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