Las Vegas Raiders fans tried to convince themselves otherwise, but they knew that Pete Carroll was doomed from the second that reports started piling in about the offensive line in offseason workouts. Not only did the combos lack sense, but the lack of continuity ahead of the year was very concerning.
And to absolutely nobody's surprise, the Raiders' crew up front was an abomination during the 2025 NFL season. With Rick Dennison as a massive upgrade over Brennan Carroll and Tyler Linderbaum dramatically raising the floor, however, the arrow is pointing up for this unit in 2026.
But new head coach Klint Kubiak can't make the same mistakes as Carroll. Although it is still good for competition to take place, especially on a rebuilding roster with so many young pieces, Las Vegas needs to get its starting five together in the trenches, and have them start gelling during camp.
While some of the positions on the offensive line are practically set in stone in the starting lineup, the burning question about who starts on the right side for the Silver and Black needs to be answered rather quickly when the pads come on later this month, ahead of the preseason.
Las Vegas Raiders must figure out right side of starting OL at training camp
First, let's take a look at the candidates, assuming Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford and Linderbaum are penciled in at left tackle, left guard and center, respectively: At right guard, it could be Caleb Rogers, Jackson Powers-Johnson or rookie Trey Zuhn III. Jordan Meredith could also factor in here.
At right tackle, it is much more cut-and-dry: It will likely be DJ Glaze starting, unless second-year pro Charles Grant can give him a serious run for his money in training camp. And for both positions, as Kubiak loves to say, the ideal combination should reveal itself.
The folks over at ESPN are concerned about the right side of Las Vegas' offensive line as well. Seth Walder recently ranked all 32 NFL rosters and provided some X factors for each. When it came to the Raiders, he wondered how the combination of Powers-Johnson and Glaze would play.
"The right side of the offensive line. This season needs to be about the development of Mendoza and figuring out who can contribute to a contender in the future. The right side could be a weakness in pass protection if Jackson Powers-Johnson (guard) and DJ Glaze (tackle) are starting. Powers-Johnson has a 90.9% pass block win rate at guard (below average), and Glaze's 85.5% pass block win rate was in just the 6th percentile among tackles last season. But if they can improve their pass protection, then the Raiders' offensive line will be in good shape to support Mendoza."
Now, both Powers-Johnson and Glaze have their share of concerns. With the former, it is mainly about injuries and availability, and answering some questions about why each new staff seems to have a gripe with him. For the latter, it is about proving last year was an anomoly, not his standard.
Again, though, they'll have to fend off some promising youngsters along the way. Rogers seriously impressed during limited action last year, Zuhn III comes to Las Vegas as a rookie with a lot of hype, and Meredith has been a solid player for the Silver and Black for years. It won't be an easy decision.
Grant also impressed a lot of folks last season despite barely touching the field, and Glaze didn't play nearly well enough to be handed the job. With what looks to be a strong left side of the offensive line, the Raiders can't afford to have gaping holes opposite them. They must figure this equation out.
That should start in training camp, at least by the fourth or fifth practice, so that the starting group has worked together extensively before even taking the field for the preseason. The more reps this unit gets, the better, and the more hope this fanbase and staff can have in it.
In all honesty, with so many intriguing pieces, Kubiak and Co. can't necessarily go wrong if they are decisive. The problems come in when each of the youngsters is inexperienced and doesn't have reps with their unit because they have been rotated all offseason and haven't settled in.
Powers-Johnson, to me, is still the frontrunner, and Glaze will probably win the right tackle job as well. But the others will get a chance to prove that they belong with the first-stringers, too. And as in every competition, may the best men win.
Oh, and get lots of reps with the other starters in training camp.
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