The Raiders walked away from Thursday night with more than a decent offensive showing under Klint Kubiak. They also got a promising look at the future of their offensive line.
That matters because last season’s front five was a mess, and this group already looks more organized. The difference, as JT the Brick put it on Raider Nation Radio, starts with coaching.
“Throw out last year’s offensive line. They weren’t coached properly. They weren’t taught properly,” JT said on his Raider Nation Radio show.
“[There was] no teaching. They didn’t even know if they were going to play the week of gameday.
Now this thing is buttoned up. So with Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson and D.J.
Glaze, that looks to be your starters tomorrow night and maybe into the start of the season,” JT continued.
“But there’s three or four offensive linemen behind them that can play from Jordan Meredith… Caleb Rogers, Trey Zuhn, what a hybrid player he’s going to be. He’s going to start.
I’m not going out on a limb with that one. Trey Zuhn will be a starter on this Raider team sooner than later.
It might be mid part of the season, maybe end of the season, maybe the start of next year. That guy is good.”
Thursday’s game backed up the idea that the Raiders have real depth in the trenches. When Pro Football Focus released its grades Friday morning, two of the top offensive performers against the Cardinals were linemen: right tackle D.J. Glaze and backup left tackle Charles Grant.
Both earned an overall grade of 82.4, though Grant’s came with 31 snaps while Glaze played just 10. Grant finished with a 90.8 run-blocking grade, while Glaze posted an 86.3, and both were strong in pass protection too.
PFF grades are not the final word - Aidan O’Connell somehow graded higher than Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza - but the tape matched the numbers. Grant and Glaze both looked solid.
For the moment, Glaze is positioned to be Kubiak’s starting right tackle. Trey Zuhn could also enter that mix if Glaze doesn’t hold up. Grant, meanwhile, appears to be in the Raiders’ plans as Miller’s eventual replacement.
Miller turns 31 in September and has dealt with durability concerns in recent years. He has two seasons left on the extension he signed last year, and if he is not on the roster after the 2026 season, his cap hit would be $5 million.
That’s a situation worth watching as the 2026 season unfolds.
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