The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line has been an eye sore during the 2025 NFL season. Through the first three games of the campaign, they couldn't keep quarterback Geno Smith clean in the pocket, nor pave lanes for star rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
Week 4 told a different story, however, as Smith did not get sacked a single time and the rushing attack finally got going to the tune of 240 yards and a touchdown on 7.7 yards per carry against the Chicago Bears.
Just as the unit started showing promise, however, Kolton Miller went down with a high ankle sprain toward the end of the Week 4 matchup. Miller has been the group's only positive throughout the season, and the $66 million man is the unit's best and most experienced player, as well as the leader.
Pete Carroll all but confirms Stone Forsythe will start at LT for Kolton Miller
With Miller sidelined for several weeks, the team obviously needs to find a viable starter in his place. Head coach Pete Carroll addressed the media on Monday afternoon, and when asked who would replace Miller, Carroll all but said it would be Stone Forsythe.
"When you, all of a sudden, face the chance of him starting, we got to make sure we take care of him all through this process. He's capable of playing. He's done really well for us. But we'll look after him in giving him this opportunity to start," Carroll said. "Stone's played a lot of football and done a nice job for us since he's been here, and he would be the first choice."
Carroll did leave the door open for third-round rookie Charles Grant to make a meteoric rise, but he has yet to be active in a game this season, and Forsythe replaced Miller for the final two plays of Sunday's game. Plus, Forsythe has a rapport with Carroll from their days with the Seattle Seahawks.
Forsythe is massive at 6-foot-8 and 307 pounds, and Carroll drafted him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft as a project. It was never truly completed, however, as he started just nine games for the Seahawks in three seasons under Carroll despite appearing in 44 contests.
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His Pro Football Focus grades paint a bleak picture of what kind of starter he'll be, as his only above-average mark came during his rookie season, albeit in a small sample size of just 14 snaps. In his other 1,043 snaps, he's earned below-average season scores of 35.3, 58.2, 43.1 and 53.9.
It may be tough sledding for Chip Kelly and the Las Vegas offense until Miller returns, especially against strong defensive fronts from the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs.
Raiders fans are frustrated with Carroll because Forsythe, who joined the team just over a month ago after roster cutdowns, is already being forced to play arguably the most pivotal role on the offensive line, despite having a brutal track record.
However, the hope is that Brennan Carroll finally has his offensive line working together in a way that is conducive to keeping the pocket clean and helping Jeanty have performances like he did in Week 4. That will require Forsythe playing at a high level, but Raider Nation is understandably skeptical.