The Raiders head into training camp with one of the clearest battles on the roster sitting at right tackle, and DJ Glaze is the name under the brightest spotlight.
That spot was never addressed in the offseason, even after Las Vegas spent the 2025 season getting beaten up up front. The offensive line was a weekly problem, and the Raiders finished with an NFL-worst 64 sacks allowed. It was the kind of number that only tells part of the story, because the unit’s struggles were obvious every week.
The front office did make moves elsewhere. Tyler Lindenbaum arrived as an elite center, and the Raiders waited until the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft to add Trey Zuhn III out of Texas A&M, a versatile piece for the line. But right tackle was left untouched, which caught plenty of attention from both the media and the fanbase.
That decision leaves Glaze in a tricky position. He opened his career well enough as a rookie in 2024 to earn the starting job for Year 2, but 2025 was a rough step backward. His pass protection wobbled, and that instability fed into the bigger problems along the line.
The sack numbers tell the story. Per PFF, Glaze allowed three sacks as a rookie and 10 in 2025. Not every sack lands on one blocker, but Glaze had trouble dealing with speed off the edge, and there’s a real question about whether he has the athletic profile to hold down right tackle long term.
Still, he brings value in the run game. Glaze has plenty of play strength, and when he’s down blocking, he can move defenders. The former Maryland Terrapin can handle Klint Kubiak’s zone scheme, but his best work may come in a gap system, where his power shows up more naturally.
That’s part of what makes the Raiders’ offseason approach so interesting. Kubiak and John Spytek didn’t add a veteran answer in free agency, and Charles Grant now looks like the most obvious challenger. Grant fits the scheme Las Vegas plans to use, and that makes him a candidate not just for the future, but for the present battle at right tackle.
Grant spent all of last preseason at left tackle and even saw regular-season action there, but he also worked on the right side during OTAs. If Glaze can’t clean up his pass protection, Grant could end up lining up next to Kolton Miller as the other bookend on the Raiders’ offensive line.
There’s also a longer-term question here. Based on his traits and the film from the last two seasons, Glaze may fit better inside at guard.
Las Vegas should at least look hard at that possibility, because his strength still plays in the run game. The guard room is crowded, though, so his path might eventually lead there either in Las Vegas or somewhere else.
For now, though, the assignment is simple: Glaze has to win the camp battle and keep Grant behind him. If he can’t, the Raiders may end up using him as a swing tackle later in the season if injuries hit again.
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