The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line has struggled enough during the 2025 NFL season. Ashton Jeanty hasn't had much room to run, Geno Smith has been under constant duress, and the unit commits far too many penalties, especially at inopportune times.
But now, the unit is plagued by injuries, and the depth has proven to be much worse. Stone Forsythe has not thrived as Kolton Miller's replacement at left tackle, and neither Alex Cappa nor Will Putnam could get the running game going last week when both starting guards went down with injuries.
Jackson Powers-Johnson is now on the Injured Reserve, and Dylan Parham's status for Week 11's Monday Night Football clash with the Dallas Cowboys is uncertain. That means the Raiders won't be close to ready for what Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys will unleash in primetime.
Raiders' interior offensive line will be tested like never before against Cowboys
While Dallas' defense has been anything but stout this season, it boasted a strong interior defensive line duo through the first nine weeks of the season. Kenny Clark, who came to the Cowboys in the Micah Parsons trade, and Osa Odighizuwa have been fairly dominant in 2025.
Clark, according to Pro Football Focus, has recorded 2.5 sacks and a whopping 27 pressures so far this season. He has also been incredible against the run, with 21 tackles, including 4 for a loss, and 11 run stops for the Cowboys' defense.
Odighizuwa's 25 tackles, 1.0 sack and 3 tackles for loss won't jump off the page, but he also has 25 pressures and 7 run stops, so he is a formidable opponent on the interior. Former Raider Solomon Thomas has also been solid for Dallas, with 9 pressures and 11 run stops.
Oh, and the Cowboys traded for perennial Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams at the deadline, who will be making his debut on Monday. The former First-Team All-Pro is an absolute game-wrecker, as he's forced 3 fumbles this season and recorded 25 run stops and 19 pressures.
Simply put, it is a bad time for the Raiders' interior offensive line to be banged up. They didn't stand much of a chance of neutralizing this unit anyway, given how they performed against other elite defensive tackles like Chris Jones and Jeffery Simmons. But this could be very, very bad.
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Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty could easily have a tough day at the office if Las Vegas' starting guards and center, whoever they may be, can't get any push against the Cowboys. Jeanty talked about Williams' impact, specifically, in an interview on Tuesday.
"They just added Quinnen Williams in the interior. I'm sure that'll level up their front," Jeanty said. "Just another guy in the interior to be disruptive. I mean, he's a game wrecker. So, we got to be ready for him."
Jeanty is not the only one keeping his head on a swivel about the Cowboys' interior defensive line, nor Williams specifically. Third-round rookie guard Caleb Rogers, who may be in line for his first career start against this brutal front, also talked about Williams on Tuesday.
"I mean, he's a great player, a lot of physicality. He's a much more diverse player than the other guys that they've got on that defensive line," Rogers said. "But that is a very diverse defensive line. They play with a lot of five down, play with a lot of different bodies. I couldn't think of a better opportunity to get me better week one as a starter than to go against someone like Quinnen Williams."
At least the rookie is projecting as optimistic and excited to start his NFL career by being thrown into the deep end against Clark, Odighizuwa, Thomas, and now Williams and seeing if he can swim. Pete Carroll is also aware of the kind of threat that the Cowboys' defensive interior poses for Las Vegas.
"Their defense has really been their concern this year, and Quinnen Williams can have a factor on that one," Carroll said. "Kenny's always been a good player. Quinnen's been a game wrecker, and this is the third big-time 3-technique we've faced in the last month or so. We'll see how (Williams) factors in. He has not played for them yet, so this will be the first game, and we'll see if we can take care of him. He is a big factor."
No matter what combination of Parham, Rogers, Alex Cappa and Will Putnam the Raiders trot out there on Monday night on either side of center Jordan Meredith, it is going to be tough sledding against a monstrous Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle group.
If Chip Kelly and Co. cannot game plan around this or at least keep the unit in check, it may be another long and embarrassing night in front of a national audience. Or, perhaps Las Vegas will surprise the fan base and find a way to slow down arguably the league's best defensive tackle group.