Between the additions of superstar center Tyler Linderbaum and a supremely overqualified offensive line coach in Rick Dennison, the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line was bound to be much-improved during the 2026 NFL season. How soon that improvement would come, however, is a different story.
But the results in the early going have spoken for themselves. With an "offensive line staff," as starting left guard Spencer Burford put it, the reports from Raiders training camp were overwhelmingly positive about this new-look unit. And the first preseason game showed that there was merit to this.
Whether fans want to evaluate the group based on the eye test, by watching film or by evaluating the tangible stats, Las Vegas' big boys up front fared a lot better than they did last year. Yes, it was just a preseason game, but major issues were already starting to present themselves at this time last year.
Raiders' OL lived up to "much-improved" billing in first preseason game
Kirk Cousins had a lot of time to operate with the first-team offense, and the Raiders were able to run the ball pretty effectively on the opening drive, at least enough to keep the defense honest and move the ball downfield for a touchdown. The run and pass game looked quite similar, which is good.
Not only that, but Las Vegas was able to run right up the middle on the tail of new additions Burford and Linderbaum, and around the left end behind a healthy Kolton Miller. On 6 dropbacks, the unit gave up just one pressure, which is a solid mark. And the second group performed well, too.
Rookie Fernando Mendoza took a sack after Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jordan Meredith botched the handoff on a defensive stunt, but they largely kept him clean as well. Charles Grant and Atonio Mafi also made a series of great blocks to thrust Mike Washington Jr. on his 53-yard run.
All told, with the top two groups, the Raiders ran nine times for 79 yards, which is 8.8 yards per carry, and they gave up just seven pressures on over 30 dropbacks, which would be a below-average pressure rate in the NFL. That is an unbelievable improvement.
Offensive weapons like Jack Bech, Ian Thomas, Michael Mayer and Connor Heyward also got their hands dirty in both pass-blocking and run-blocking. Roman Hemby and Mike Washington Jr. also looked good in pass pro. This all only helps the offensive line and the group overall.
Obviously, it is difficult to draw too big a conclusion from just a handful of drives, especially when it is primarily backups. But the starters already look better, and so does the depth, and it's only been one preseason game. Again, serious issues were already arising at this point in last year's calendar.
So, let's just call it what it looks like: Improvement. In whatever way you want to qualify or measure that, the Raiders' offensive line just looks better because it is, and it is not difficult to figure out why. Let's just hope that it stays that way when the regular season begins.
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