The Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line in 2025? Let’s just say it was a season to forget - and for anyone who watched closely, it wasn’t hard to see why.
The line didn’t just struggle; it collapsed. Protection broke down, the pocket vanished, and quarterback Geno Smith spent far too much time picking himself off the turf.
According to Zoltan Buday of Pro Football Focus, the Raiders’ O-line ranked dead last in the NFL - and the numbers back that up in a big way.
Let’s start with the most glaring stat: sacks allowed. No other team in the league gave up more than 35.
The Raiders? They surrendered 47.
That’s not just a red flag - that’s a five-alarm fire. It’s tough to build any kind of offensive rhythm when your quarterback is under siege snap after snap.
The lineup that Buday put forward as the Raiders’ most-used group paints a picture of a unit in flux:
- LT Kolton Miller
- LG Dylan Parham
- C Jordan Meredith
- RG Jackson Powers-Johnson
- RT DJ Glaze
But that lineup didn’t stick for long. Kolton Miller, the anchor of the line, went down early in the season with what was initially labeled a high ankle sprain - later revealed to be a fracture.
His absence was a turning point, and not in a good way. Once Miller was sidelined, the entire unit unraveled.
Miller’s replacement, Stone Forsythe, had a rough go. He allowed a league-high 13 sacks in limited action.
On the other side, rookie right tackle DJ Glaze didn’t fare much better - he gave up 10 sacks himself, the second-most in the NFL. That’s a brutal one-two punch on the edges, and it made life miserable for Smith in the pocket.
Glaze’s struggles are particularly disappointing considering the Raiders used a third-round pick on him in 2024. He wasn’t just shaky in pass protection - his run blocking was subpar too, which helps explain why promising running back Ashton Jeanty had such a hard time finding daylight. The holes weren’t there, and the lanes didn’t open.
At center, Jordan Meredith was another weak link. Among 40 centers graded by PFF, he ranked 38th in pass protection.
His run-blocking grade wasn’t much better, compounding the issues up front. When your center and tackles are consistently losing battles, there’s only so much you can do schematically to mask the problems.
There is, however, a silver lining - and it starts with Miller. Before the injury, he was playing at an elite level.
PFF gave him an 89.5 grade in pass protection, one of the best marks in the league. If he returns to form in 2026, that’s a massive boost.
A healthy Miller instantly stabilizes the left side and gives the Raiders a foundation to build around.
There’s also potential in Jackson Powers-Johnson. While he played guard this past season, he was the nation’s top-rated center in college at Oregon, even taking home the Remington Trophy.
A move back to center could be in the cards, especially if the team looks to upgrade from Meredith. Powers-Johnson has the pedigree - now it’s about putting him in the right spot to succeed.
As for Dylan Parham, he’s been serviceable at left guard. He’s not a game-changer, but he’s not a liability either. In a unit that struggled across the board, “adequate” is a compliment.
The Raiders are expected to take quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in this year’s draft, and if that’s the plan, the offensive line becomes priority number one. Protecting a young QB is non-negotiable.
The good news? This group doesn’t need to become elite overnight - it just needs to be functional.
With Miller healthy, a possible position switch for Powers-Johnson, and some targeted development or coaching tweaks, the Raiders could go from league-worst to at least middle of the pack.
And in today’s NFL, that’s often enough to give your offense a fighting chance.