The new regime for the Las Vegas Raiders has proven this offseason that they are willing to pony up to keep some of the league's best players in the building. The first example of this was when they extended Maxx Crosby on a record-breaking three-year, $106.5 million deal in March.
They followed this up by extending All-Pro punter A.J. Cole on another historic deal. Ultimately, they also paid left tackle Kolton Miller $66 million over three years after initial reports indicated that he was unhappy with his contract.
Miller has been durable throughout his NFL career, but Thursday's injury to Los Angeles Chargers star left tackle Rashawn Slater was a brutal reminder that the team has to be prepared for any situation. Based on Thursday's preseason game, the Raiders might not be.
Raiders lack tackle depth behind Kolton Miller
Against the Seattle Seahawks in their first preseason tilt, backup offensive tackles Charles Grant and Thayer Munford Jr. both struggled against the second- and third-stringers. According to Pro Football Focus, the two played some of the highest snap counts on the team, but also struggled the most.
Grant clocked in with a 53.4 overall grade, which included a 60.2 mark in the running game and only a 40.7 as a pass-blocker. This ranked him as the 33rd-best player on the team out of 42 qualifying players. In other words, a bottom-10 performance.
Munford was somehow worse, as his 36.6 overall grade was the second-lowest on the roster during the team's first preseason tilt. He earned a 48.9 grade in run-blocking, but turned in just a 23.1 mark as a pass-blocker.
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While Grant is a rookie and should be given time to adjust, Munford has started 18 NFL games and should perform far better than this. Neither of these players would likely be able to keep their heads above the water if they checked in for meaningful snaps in a regular season game right now.
Fortunately, starting right tackle DJ Glaze played left tackle in college, so he could swing over and protect Geno Smith's blindside in a pinch. However, that does nothing to ease the pressure on the right side of the line when one of these players subs in.
It was just one preseason game, so there is no need to completely overreact yet. However, if things do not get better, this problem that is quietly brewing behind Kolton Miller could spill over into being a full-blown issue. If they do not address it, they could be in some hot water if Miller misses any time.