The Las Vegas Raiders released their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday evening, and a few key things stuck out. Not only is the team massively improved from a year ago, but they have found upgrades at some of the most important positions in the sport.
However, less talked about is their lack of offensive line depth, which was clear as day upon the team announcing its initial group. While the starting lineup is stout, things could get ugly, fast, if any of the Raiders' first five go down with an ailment or miss time for another reason.
They didn't take long to make changes to the unit, as less than 24 hours later, the team waived 2022 seventh-round pick Thayer Munford Jr. Munford was expected to be a backup tackle, but he played himself out of a role with a poor preseason. Now, Las Vegas needs to look elsewhere.
Raiders should inquire about former Cowboys star OL La'el Collins
Editor's note: the Raiders signed OT Stone Forsythe on Wednesday afternoon.
One option that recently became available is La'el Collins, who was a star right tackle for the Dallas Cowboys in his prime. Those days are certainly long gone, as injuries have kept him out since the end of the 2022 season.
Collins' track record is strong enough, however, for the team to kick the tires on him and at least bring him in for a workout. At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, he was initially a left guard in the NFL, but this experience actually works in his favor because Pete Carroll and John Spytek love versatility.
Of the offensive linemen that they kept on the roster in Las Vegas, only Kolton Miller is pigeonholed into one position. Otherwise, every other player can line up at multiple spots on the offensive line, which allowed Chip Kelly and Co. to move things around to their liking this offseason.
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While relying on Collins to be a starter would be careless, given his injury history, taking a cheap flyer on him late in the offseason might be well worth it. He would provide some serious experience for the room and could help teach young players like DJ Glaze and Charles Grant some things.
He also played alongside Raiders guard Alex Cappa with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022 and 2023, so he would not be entering a completely unfamiliar room. Current Raiders senior offensive assistant Joe Philbin was also Collins' offensive line coach in Dallas for two seasons.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reported that the team was bringing in a new tackle, and it is only a matter of time until Raider Nation figures out who it is. There would certainly be far more surprising and less desirable options than giving Collins one last shot in the NFL.