The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2025 season has been a grind - and that’s putting it lightly. After dropping their seventh straight game in a 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 14, the Raiders now sit at 2-11. But even amid a difficult stretch, there are signs of life - and they’re coming from the youngest corners of the roster.
Rookie offensive lineman Caleb Rogers turned in one of the most promising performances of the season for Las Vegas. The third-round pick played all 51 offensive snaps and didn’t allow a single pressure - no sacks, no hurries, not even a quarterback hit.
That’s not just solid; that’s rare for a rookie tackle, especially against a Denver defensive front that’s been giving quarterbacks nightmares all year. Rogers earned an 81.1 pass-blocking grade and a 74.7 overall mark from Pro Football Focus - both team highs for the game.
That kind of performance doesn’t just get noticed - it changes the conversation. For a Raiders team already eliminated from playoff contention, it’s time to shift focus to 2026 and beyond. And Rogers’ breakout outing should open the door for another third-rounder: Charles Grant.
Grant, like Rogers, came into the league with questions about his readiness. The coaching staff had kept both rookies on the sideline for most of the season, citing practice struggles.
But Rogers showed on Sunday that practice isn’t always the full story. He stepped into a tough matchup and held his own - and then some.
Now it’s Grant’s turn to get that same shot.
The case for Grant becomes even stronger when you look at the current state of the offensive line - particularly at left tackle. Stone Forsythe, filling in for injured starter Kolton Miller, had another rough outing.
He posted a 49.5 overall PFF grade, the lowest on the offense, and struggled across the board. His pass-blocking grade came in at 42.9, and his run-blocking wasn’t much better at 53.8.
He allowed two sacks, three hurries, and five total pressures. That’s not just a bad day - that’s a pattern.
At 28 years old and with inconsistent play throughout the season, Forsythe doesn’t look like a long-term answer. And with Miller sidelined and the Raiders’ playoff hopes already dashed, there’s no better time to see what Grant can do. If he performs well, the Raiders could head into the offseason with four of their five offensive line spots potentially locked in - and three of those held by players still on rookie deals.
That’s a big deal for a team with plenty of other roster needs. If Grant can show even flashes of the same poise Rogers did, it could give the Raiders a young, affordable, and potentially high-upside core up front. That would allow them to get creative with the fifth spot - whether that means sliding DJ Glaze inside to guard, bringing back Dylan Parham, or dipping into free agency where several veteran linemen are expected to be available.
The Raiders have cap space to work with, but they also have a golden opportunity right now to evaluate their youth. Grant was a Day 2 pick for a reason, and the team owes it to themselves to find out what they have before heading into the offseason with more questions than answers.
At just 23 years old, Grant - along with Rogers and Jackson Powers-Johnson - could form a trio of young linemen all under 24. That’s a foundation worth building on. And while the rest of this season may not mean much in the standings, it could mean everything for the Raiders’ rebuild.
A few strong games from this rookie class could inject some much-needed energy into the franchise and give fans a reason to believe that brighter days are ahead - starting in the trenches.