Raiders: Believe it or not, the right tackle position may be alright
No position on the Raiders’ roster has gathered more attention than the right tackle spot. Unfortunately, none of this has been for positive reasons.
Both Brandon Parker and Alex Leatherwood competed for the starting right tackle job heading into the preseason. After a few weeks of consistent struggles from both men, Parker found himself on the Injured Reserves list, and Leatherwood became a member of the Chicago Bears.
That’s right – after watching the 2021 first-round pick get beaten in the passing game time and time again, the new regime in Las Vegas decided to move on from Leatherwood. The front office called each of the other 31 teams to strike a deal involving the 23-year-old, but no other squad was interested. Now out of options, the Raiders cut Leatherwood.
The decision to cut Alex Leatherwood was massive, and not only because he didn’t get to see his second year at the pro level before getting the ax. Las Vegas was prepared to swallow a $7.8 million dead cap hit upon cutting Leatherwood, but luckily for the Silver and Black, Chicago claimed the Alabama alum off of waivers. Doing so dropped the Raiders’ dead cap number to around $2 million.
With Parker and Leatherwood no longer playing as a Raider this season, that leaves Jeraime Eluemunor as the starting right tackle. Should Raider Nation be worried?
Surprisingly, it may not be as bad as it sounds.
Jermaine Eluemunor has had success at right tackle under both Josh McDaniels the Raiders’ offensive line coach
Despite Eluemunor being glued to the guard position in Las Vegas, the 27-year-old has experience at tackle; right tackle in particular. This came during the ’20 season, when Eluemunor was in New England with the Raiders’ new head coach Josh McDaniels and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo.
Eluemunor starting at right tackle under both McDaniels and Bricillo is not a new thing. In 2020, the versatile O-lineman started half of the season at tackle, playing a combined 418 snaps. At the season’s end, the former Patriot posted a PFF grade of 70.3 – a mark higher than any Raider not named Kolton Miller during the ’21 season.
Perhaps the biggest development that year was the one single penalty Eluemunor drew. Three Raiders’ offensive linemen had at least 9 flags thrown on their behalf last season, with all five being guilty of committing at least five penalties. Even in his 266 snaps as a Raider, we’re looking at a goose egg in the penalty column from the veteran.
If Eluemunor can’t repeat his previous success at the position now reunited with McDaniels and Bricillo, rookie Thayer Munford has shown he’s more than up for the challenge. The right tackle position should be at least serviceable, whether Eluemunor or Munford finish off the season there. The guards on the roster are another story, but that talk is for another time.