With Klint Kubiak and his affinity for the center position in the head coach's chair, Tyler Linderbaum had a high likelihood of joining the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. It was going to cost a pretty penny to land him in a huge pool of suitors, but the Raiders didn't want to let him get away.
At the time, Linderbaum seemed worth the "overpay," and time has only continued to hammer that point home. His impact is already being felt in Las Vegas before the pads come on, and even though the media now mysteriously views him less favorably, Linderbaum will, in fact, be worth every penny.
Still, the Silver and Black dramatically reset the center market to acqurie him, and some fans may be worried that he'll never live up to his billing. What if Linderbaum is just another in a long line of Raiders free agent acquisitions who are overhyped and underdeliver?
Based on Linderbaum's latest accomplishment, that doesn't seem too likely.
Tyler Linderbaum ranks 8th among IOL, 2nd among centers in NFL survey
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently polled NFL executives, coaches and scouts about the top players in the league at each position. Already, Maxx Crosby came in at No. 4 among defensive ends, Brock Bowers topped the tight end list, and both Ashton Jeanty and Kolton Miller received votes.
When it came to interior offensive linemen, which means the guard and center positions were lumped together, Linderbaum was slotted in at No. 8 overall and second among centers. This is up two spots from last year, and he even peaked at No. 1 on at least one personnel guru's ranking.
"Linderbaum upgrades the Raiders' offense immediately," Fowler noted. "He's known as an elite run blocker. But in the passing game, he also ranked second among centers in pass block win rate (97.2%) last season."
Linderbaum drew significant praise from a veteran defensive coach as well.
"A heavy-handed center that can get to the second level," a veteran NFL defensive coach said. "There aren't many of those at the center position who can do that at a high level. And he can run the show from a communication standpoint."
Some coaches claimed that Linderbaum struggles more in pass protection than some are willing to admit, but the truth of the matter is that he fared just fine. This was even true with a poor guard situation next to him with the Baltimore Ravens, so he had more on his plate than he should have.
Getting praise from anonymous NFL personnel people means much more than a random ranking of all the league's players or a nitpicking stat. These are folks who evaluate players for a living and can see the tremendous value in Linderbaum when all things are considered.
Yes, $27 million per year is a metric ton for a center or any interior offensive lineman. But we're talking about one of the very best in the league here, and a young player who is clearly still ascending. The Raiders had the money to spend, and they didn't leave how they felt about him up to interpretation.
Again, it felt like a necessary overpay at the time. But with every new report or nugget that comes out about Linderbaum, Las Vegas has to feel like its hefty investment is already aging gracefully. Hopefully, that continues when the live bullets start flying in the regular season.
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