The Las Vegas Raiders wrapped up the preseason on Saturday night, suffering a 20-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The starters opened the game, playing well on both sides of the ball to jump out to a 7-0 lead.
The rest of the way left plenty to be desired, however, as Las Vegas struggled to get anything going offensively and had its worst overall performance of the preseason. There is hardly any depth at several offensive positions, which is concerning just weeks ahead of the opener.
While the lack of quarterback depth has gotten much of the attention, the Raiders' second-string offensive line has also been underwhelming. Now entering his fourth season in Las Vegas, swing tackle Thayer Munford Jr. struggled mightily in the preseason, putting his roster spot in danger.
Thayer Munford had a rough preseason for Raiders
The Raiders selected Munford in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft in the first year under Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler. Various regimes have given him plenty of chances to prove his value, as he has appeared in 46 games and made 18 starts in three seasons.
Munford also had the opportunity to claim a starting job at right tackle last preseason; however, he lost his spot to D.J. Glaze. While he was not playing for a starting role this preseason, a strong showing could have gone a long way towards proving his value to the new brass. Instead, he has struggled tremendously, which Tristen Kuhn highlighted.
"#Raiders T Thayer Munford allowed 2 sacks and 7 pressures in preseason (122 snaps, 76 PBLK, 46 RBLK). On the team, he finished last in pressures allowed, PFF Grade, sacks allowed, and 2nd to last for PBLK Grade (Atonio Mafi)," Kuhn wrote. "IPP Player Laki Tasi, who was playing rugby 5 months ago, finished higher in all marks. Among all NFL OL in preseason, Munford finished T-4th in pressures allowed, T-2nd in sacks allowed, and 123rd in PBLK Grade."
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Munford's showings have been very bad this preseason. However, the Raiders' lack of depth at his position does improve his chances of making the roster. Aside from Glaze and Kolton Miller, third-round rookie Charles Grant is the only other tackle that is guaranteed to make the 53-man roster.
Dalton Wagner, who was an undrafted free agent in 2023 and has yet to make his NFL debut, could be in a strong position to surpass Munford as a backup offensive tackle after a handful of great outings this month. He is a massive 6-foot-8 and weighs 320 pounds.
He also allowed just two pressures and no sacks in 55 preseason snaps, while posting the highest PFF grade and seventh-highest run grade among NFL tackles with at least 50 snaps played. The team could elevate him to an active roster spot or monitor the waiver wire and free agency for an upgrade.
While the Raiders don't have much tackle depth, Munford's roster spot is one to monitor as cutdown day rapidly approaches.