The Las Vegas Raiders have sorely needed an upgrade to their offensive tackle depth this offseason. Third-round swing tackle Charles Grant does not appear ready to go immediately, so the franchise was relying on 2022 seventh-rounder Thayer Munford Jr. to be up to the task.
Unfortunately, Munford's poor preseason resulted in him being waived on Wednesday, just a day after Las Vegas announced its initial 53-man team. With the open roster spot that this move created, the expectation was for the Raiders to dive right back into the tackle market.
On Wednesday afternoon, the team did just that, signing a new player at the position. To no surprise, he is a former project of head coach Pete Carroll's from his days leading the Seattle Seahawks, and the two will look to continue their work in Las Vegas.
Raiders sign former Seahawks OT Stone Forsythe
General manager John Spytek took the podium after Wednesday's practice and told reporters that the team had signed tackle Stone Forsythe, who was a sixth-round pick by the Seahawks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
With limited athletic ability but a 6-foot-8, 307-pound frame, Carroll selected him out of Florida with the idea that he could develop into a starting offensive lineman. In four seasons with Seattle, Forsythe started just 14 games in 53 appearances.
He was not re-signed this offseason by the new Seahawks brass, and he did not make the 53-man roster for the New York Giants after spending the preseason there. However, now he is back with the original NFL coach who believed in him, and he will look to fill a major need for the Raiders.
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Forsythe has 1,051 offensive snaps and 237 downs of special teams play under his belt. In all that time, he has not been flagged for a single holding penalty, although he does have four false starts, two of which came after Carroll left the Seahawks.
Perhaps the best aspect of his game is that he can line up at both tackle spots, as he has demonstrated in both the preseason and regular season over the years. If not for an injury during the 2024 campaign, he might have played all 17 games in three straight years as well.
With Forsythe now in Las Vegas, Raider Nation can feel relieved that their tackle depth is at least slightly better off. Carroll is certainly excited to finish what he started, but hopefully, the offensive line has good health, and Forsythe is never called into action.