The Raiders made a major bet on the middle of their offensive line this offseason, and six games into the year, the conversation around that move is already getting louder.
In March, Las Vegas landed Tyler Linderbaum from the Ravens - and, apparently, the Commanders as well - and made him the highest-paid center in the league. The deal was three years and $81 million, a headline-grabbing investment meant to stabilize a key spot up front. Instead, the return has been uneven so far.
That was especially true on Sunday against the Bills. Linderbaum had what was arguably his roughest outing of the season, and one particular play has been making the rounds online. It was the kind of snap teams hope never to see from one of their biggest offseason prizes.
Pro Football Focus assigned Linderbaum the lowest offensive lineman grade on the team for the game, a 46.8, and tagged him with a 29.8 as a run blocker. For the season, PFF has him ranked as the No. 22 center in the league with an overall grade of 58.8.
That number sits uncomfortably close to the grade Pro Football Focus gave Jordan Meredith a year ago, when he came in at 57.7, and it also edges past Alex Cappa’s 53.5 from last season.
Still, this is a new system for Linderbaum and the entire Raiders offensive line under head coach Klint Kubiak. Six games is not a huge sample, and there’s no reason to sound the alarm just yet. But the Raiders do need steadier play from the center spot moving forward.
The guard picture is unsettled, too. Last week, the expectation was that Caleb Rogers might work his way into the starting lineup against Buffalo, with many around the team thinking he would take over for Spencer Burford at left guard.
That’s not how it played out. Jackson Powers-Johnson ended up taking the short straw at right guard, and Burford stayed on the field.
Rogers did not exactly turn heads against the Bills, but the coaching staff may be willing to give him more runway. After all, he was drafted by John Spytek and has apparently made a solid impression in a short time with the team.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Should Be Careful With The Ashton Jeanty Comparison
Ashton Jeantys early Raiders production has invited an ugly comparison, mostly because the surface numbers look familiar to anyone who remembers Trent Richardsons rapid NFL fade. The caution here is that context matters. Richardson entered the league with a different kind of pre-draft hype and landed behind a stronger blocking environment, while Jeanty has had to navigate a Raiders offense that has not given him much room to work with.
Still, the concerns around Jeanty are real enough to keep the conversation going. His low yards per carry and frequent negative or no-gain runs have been a problem, and the Raiders have not made life easier with poor run blocking, while an ankle issue only adds another layer to the evaluation. The larger point is not that everything is fine, only that it is too early to stamp him with Richardsons fate when the situations around the two backs have not been remotely the same. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Line Trouble Has Put Spytek Under Early Pressure
With the Raiders trying to steady an offensive line that has already become a concern, the front office made another round of roster adjustments this week. Las Vegas brought in offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard on the practice squad as part of a push to add more protection depth before facing the Los Angeles Rams.
At the same time, the Raiders cleared room by moving on from tight end Chris Myarick and offensive lineman Evan Neal. It is an early sign that general manager John Spytek is willing to keep working the roster aggressively, and the bigger question is how much improvement he can engineer in time to help a unit that needs it quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Backfield Suddenly Has A Workload Question Fans Should Watch
The Raiders left Buffalo with a few encouraging signs in the backfield, even if the loss itself still lingered. Rookie Mike Washington Jr. gave the offense a lift with his running, and head coach Klint Kubiak came away pleased enough to point to better production and effort from the group overall.
Kubiaks comments also suggest this is not turning into a one-back operation just yet. Ashton Jeanty and Dylan Laube remain part of the mix, and the workload split in the weeks ahead should be worth watching as Las Vegas tries to find a steadier rhythm on the ground. [Read more 🡒]