The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line was a special kind of mess last season under Pete and Brennan Carroll, but the hope is that this group has made a complete 180 under Klint Kubiak and Rick "Rico" Dennison. On paper, they certainly have in the early going.
Kolton Miller is a holdover at left tackle, and Tyler Linderbaum is the undisputed (and unbelievably compensated) starting center. But the other three starting spots up front remain a mystery for the Silver and Black, particularly at the two guard positions.
While the frontrunners seem to be Jackson Powers-Johnson and Spencer Burford at this point, Caleb Rogers and Trey Zuhn III aren't going to go away quietly. The position battle is heating up ahead of training camp, as Kubiak told reporters after mandatory minicamp concluded.
"I think there's a lot of great competition at the guard position especially," said Kubiak.
Las Vegas Raiders' Klint Kubiak can't go down Anthony Bradford route again if he becomes available
But the Seattle Seahawks could soon force Klint Kubiak's hand to throw another wrench into the battle: Starting guard Anthony Bradford. Bleacher Report's Alex Kay recently listed five cut candidates who should be on every NFL team's radar, and Bradford made that list.
"The Seattle Seahawks may have won a Super Bowl with Anthony Bradford starting at right guard, but his brief time in that role could be coming to an end.Â
"The veteran was the weakest link in the eventual champion's offensive trenches last year, and while that didn't deter Seattle from lifting the Lombardi Trophy, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the club attempt to replace him this offseason."
Now, this is a loaded idea. On the one hand, why wouldn't Kubiak want another piece of his Super Bowl-winning offense on the roster in Las Vegas? Bradford has tons of starting experience and knows Kubiak, Dennison and Andrew Janocko very well. That plays in his favor.
Bradford undoubtedly being what held the Seahawks' offensive line back at times works against him, though. According to Pro Football Focus, Bradford was not only the lowest-graded player in Seattle's starting lineup, but the only one with a below-average overall offensive mark.
Kubiak has proven that he'll bring in and even lean on players from his past coaching stops who have shaky histories, Burford being the foremost example currently on the Raiders. And one can't argue that the offensive line can't be successful with Bradford. Just look at the Seahawks last year.
However, Las Vegas may be better off without Bradford. Yes, he's done some good things in Seattle, but he clearly wasn't a fit for Kubiak's offensive style. No reason exists to run this pairing back and see if he can improve, especially with all of the young guard talent that the Raiders currently have.
If the Seahawks do end up parting ways with Bradford, though, and there is both the sentiment that they could and the precedent to do so, then he'll surely be starting at Kubiak like the Green Goblin mask on the open market. And that could throw a wrench into an already tense battle.
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