The Las Vegas Raiders had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL when they were healthy. But now the injuries on the interior have made it impossible for Geno Smith to have time to throw or Ashton Jeanty to find running lanes.
To make matters worse, John Spytek's NFL Draft picks seem incapable of filling these voids. The Raiders thought so much of guard Caleb Rogers and offensive tackle Charles Grant that they used consecutive picks at the end of the third round to select them.
But so far, the pair of them have spent most of their rookie years on the sidelines. Raiders fans have to be wondering how these two can be so bad that they can't even get out there when the injuries to Jackson Powers-Johnson and Kolton Miller opened up some extra playing time.
The latest rumors hint at things being even worse than first imagined.
Raiders rookie OL Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant reportedly can't handle NFL complexity
Last week, The Athletic's Ted Nguyen reported that Rogers was in line to start on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys, but that he was so bad at getting basic assignments down that Las Vegas felt it would be unfair to the rest of the team to put him out there.
However, Nguyen later amended the post, saying Rogers simply had a bad week of practice. Nguyen also added that the team still perceives Grant as too raw to consider playing. No matter what exactly went down at practice, or what the specific issues were, this isn't ideal for a duo of Day 2 picks.
Even dating back to Seattle, Carroll's offensive lines have routinely underperformed. In the same way Bill Belichick struggled to draft wide receivers, Carroll has a blind spot for this area. To make matters worse, his offensive staff may not be equipped to get the most out of Rogers or Grant.
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Not only is offensive coordinator Chip Kelly once again failing to adapt his style to the professional game, but Carroll's decision to have his sons, Nate and Brennan, work with the quarterbacks and offensive line appears to have been a colossal mistake that is hurting this football team.
Rogers and Grant were both billed as projects, but there's a difference between being a raw player who needs some extra seasoning in the pros and someone who is so ill-equipped to handle the NFL game that they can't even get on the field over undrafted free agents or practice squad players.
If things don't change soon, the Raiders may be forced to admit they wasted a pair of Top 100 picks on linemen who don't have the baseline competency needed to even get a shot in the NFL. Spytek has done some great things, but this might be an egregious mistake the team needs to recover from.
However, it might be as simple as just having the right people on the coaching staff to get the most out of them and build up their confidence.