The Las Vegas Raiders may have made some major improvements in John Spytek's first offseason in charge, but everyone around the organization is well aware of the fact that none of these moves will matter unless they can provide a solid challenge to the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West.
The Raiders can bank on the fact that the dynastic Chiefs are slowly starting to see their glory dwindle away. Patrick Mahomes' once-mighty offensive line is fading away, as the loss of All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney in free agency has prompted a major retooling on the left side of the line.
The Chiefs appear ready to go into the season with rookie Josh Simmons at left tackle, converted tackle Kingsley Suamataia at left guard, and free agent signing Jaylon Moore in a versatile backup role behind those two.
Raiders can take advantage of suspect Chiefs OL competition
Does this look or feel like a group that is going to put together the same dominant performances Kansas City had in the past? No matter what the Chiefs do on the left side, it seems like they are going to be put in a tough situation that the Raiders can exploit.
Simmons has all the talent needed to be an All-Pro player, but there are questions about his work ethic in practice dating back to his time at Ohio State. Andy Reid may find it a mistake to hand him the starting left tackle job without as much competition from Moore as many initially expected.
Suamataia was drafted to be the left tackle of the future, but he didn't even make it through one month before getting rooted to the bench. While guard seems like a better fit for someone with his skillset, moving positions isn't always as easy as it may seem.
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Moore being signed to a $15 million per year contract as a backup was one of the offseason's more puzzling moves.
Despite the Raiders releasing Christian Wilkins, the presence of All-Pro dynamo Maxx Crosby and improving former top 10 pick Tyree Wilson should still give this Thuney-less offensive line enough trouble to impact the outcome of the game.
Even with Aidan O'Connell, Antonio Pierce, and a worse defense, the Raiders have played Kansas City tough in recent years. Mahomes is always going to give the Raiders problems, but they could limit his true dominance by getting after him in the pocket.