Tyler Linderbaum was apparently supposed to fix the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line all by himself.
The team did back up the Brinks truck for him in free agency, to the tune of $27 million per year, so that he could patch up the issues up front and be both a connector and a multiplier for a group that badly needed help. And although he started hot, many think Linderbaum hasn't met expectations.
Now, it is hard to meet the expectations that accompany not just a record-setting contract, but one that shattered the market completely. And I'll say that Linderbaum hasn't quite been what he was billed to be, as his impact on the game and the metrics don't quite match his price tag.
But Linderbaum is still a very good center for the Raiders, and among the best in the league. He's just not the best, as fans suddenly expected him to be, but Linderbaum is the best center Las Vegas has had since Rodney Hudson, and it isn't close. The assertion that he's playing poorly is simply untrue.
Tyler Linderbaum is still playing well for Raiders in 2026
It is easy to look at cherry-picked clips on social media and see all of Linderbaum's shortcomings. It comes with the territory of such a hefty contract, to an extent, as fans don't expect the highest-paid center in history to make any mistakes, for whatever reason.
That said, according to Pro Football Focus, Linderbaum has allowed just two sacks, four quarterback hits and two hurries this season. Last year, he gave up two sacks and just one hit, but 23 hurries. And he was blocking for Lamar Jackson, who is light-years more mobile than Kirk Cousins.
If anything, Linderbaum has improved in pass protection.
ESPN's advanced analytics would back that up, as Linderbaum currently ranks third among all interior offensive linemen, which includes centers and guards, in pass-block win rate. Third in the entire league! And yet a lot of Raider Nation is calling this contract a failure. That confounds reason.
Sure, the entire run game is struggling this year in Las Vegas, and Linderbaum's PFF grade has dropped from 83.2 in 2025 to 67.3 in 2026. But the latter number still ranks ninth in the whole league, so acting as if Linderbaum is a scrub and not still top-10 is disingenuous.
Raider Nation expected the team to average more than 3.0 yards per carry, but that blame cannot all be placed on Linderbaum. The right guard spot has been a revolving door, and Ashton Jeanty is not running his best right now. But Mike Washington Jr. proved in Week 8 that there are gains to be had.
His mobility and lateral movement, in particular, stand out as great strengths that he has put on display this year. And if the trend continues toward outside zone running, then Linderbaum can flex his muscles even more, and the run game can potentially take off.
This is not to say that Linderbaum has been perfect, though.
Las Vegas still needs Tyler Linderbaum to step up a bit
Simply put, Linderbaum has gotten mauled at times at the line of scrimmage. Play strength has always been a concern for him, and that really popped up in Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills' Deone Walker. All year, the Raiders have been mauled in short-yardage situations.
Part of the issue is that Las Vegas doesn't really have a short-yardage running back, and that, again, the guards have not been exceptional next to Linderbaum. But he's outside the top 10 in run-block win rate, and the team averages just 2.97 yards running between the guards.
To paint an accurate picture of how much better things have been on the left side, the Raiders are gaining 3.5 yards per rush on the left side, compared to just 2.2 on the right side. Hopefully, the team found something in Trey Zuhn III; otherwise, they'll continue to struggle.
Penalties have also quietly been an issue, as Linderbaum has been flagged five times this season. He was only whistled five times all of last year, and we are just at the halfway point. He needs to clean this up down the stretch.
Again, Linderbaum isn't playing like the best center in the league, and with that contract, a lot of folks expected him to. But he's still playing well, and he's a big part of this offensive line's turnaround. They rank 2nd in the NFL in pass-block win rate as a unit and 15th in run-block win rate as a group.
That is miles better than what the Raiders have had in recent years, and Linderbaum is to thank for that.
Add us as a preferred source on Google