The Raiders are officially one game into the post-Chip Kelly era, but if you were hoping for a dramatic shift in direction, Sunday’s loss to the Chargers probably felt more like déjà vu than a new beginning.
One of the biggest takeaways from the game? The offensive line rotation-yes, it's still happening.
Despite Kelly's departure, the coaching staff continued to shuffle personnel up front, particularly at right guard. Third-round rookie Caleb Rogers got the start, but he ended up splitting time with Atonio Mafi, a move that raised more than a few eyebrows.
Rogers only logged 17 snaps, but here’s the kicker-he graded out as the Raiders’ top offensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s not nothing, especially for a rookie making his first start. Still, the coaching staff didn’t commit to him, instead opting for a rotation that left both players without a chance to settle in and build rhythm.
Raiders legend Lincoln Kennedy didn’t hold back when he weighed in on the situation during an appearance on Raider Nation Radio’s Unnecessary Roughness with Q Myers. His take? Rotating offensive linemen mid-game is a recipe for inconsistency.
“I’ve never liked alternating offensive linemen in and out of the game,” Kennedy said. “You make a decision to go with whomever it is and you leave them in the game.
If they struggle, then obviously there’s a change. But I’ve never liked alternating between linemen, because you can’t get into a rhythm.”
He went on to explain the physical and mental toll of that kind of rotation. “More times than not, if the series is a buzz and you only go out there for one series and you’ve got three, four plays, and then you have to sit for how many plays the defense is out there...
I think you just get cold. You get lathered up, you get ready to go, you get pumped up-leave them out there on the field.”
Kennedy’s point is clear: young linemen need reps, not rotation. Mistakes are part of the development process, and the only way to grow is to play through them.
“Let them make the mistakes you corrected in the film,” he said. “If it’s not too egregious, you don’t have to keep dancing back and forth.
Make a decision to showcase your young talent to allow them to develop, because they need as many plays as possible.”
That philosophy doesn’t just apply to Rogers. Second-round pick Jack Bech also showed flashes in a limited role, playing just 27 of the team’s 48 offensive snaps. He looked the part, but again, the usage didn’t match the potential.
Meanwhile, Tre Tucker saw the field for 46 snaps, and it’s becoming pretty clear that the coaching staff views him as the team’s top receiving option after trading Jakobi Meyers to the Jaguars. Tucker’s workload suggests he’s the guy now, but it’s hard to evaluate anyone in an offense that’s been sputtering for weeks.
Speaking of Meyers, his production since landing in Jacksonville offers a pretty stark contrast to what he was doing in Vegas. In his last four games with the Raiders, Meyers had 16 catches and averaged just 7.7 yards per reception.
Since joining the Jaguars? He’s hauled in 18 receptions in four games, nearly doubling his per-catch average to 15.3 yards.
Project that out over a full season, and Meyers is on pace for 77 catches, 1,041 yards, and 8 touchdowns. That’s a massive jump from what he was putting up under Kelly’s system-and he’s likely still getting acclimated to Jacksonville’s offense.
All of this underscores a bigger issue: the Raiders’ offense is broken. And when the system itself is malfunctioning, it becomes incredibly difficult to get a true read on player development, especially for young guys like Rogers, Bech, and Tucker. The reps matter, but so does the context-and right now, the context is chaos.
For the decision-makers in the Raiders' front office, the rest of this season isn't just about wins and losses. It's about figuring out who can be part of the long-term solution-and who’s just stuck in a broken system.