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The Las Vegas Raiders offensive line is simply not good, and that’s likely underselling it as they rank near the bottom of the NFL in pass block win rate, last in run block win rate, 30th in pressure rate, 29th in clean pocket rate, and last in avg. yards before contact.
The Raiders will have an interesting dilemma this off-season after having spent a 2024 2nd and 3rd rounder on Jackson Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze and then two third rounders in 2025 on Charles Grant and Caleb Rogers. Powers-Johnson played
well as a rookie before moving to guard this season and then suffering a season ending injury. Glaze has struggled with his transition to the NFL largely in part to speed rushers that have the twitch and bend to exploit his weakness in foot speed, hip flexibility, and weight balance. The Raiders haven’t played Charles Grant this season as he’s taking essentially a redshirt season though is rookie year preseason wasn’t terrible and Grant contains all the athletic traits necessary to succeed in the NFL though coaching will be a massive step forward for his development. Rogers played well his first two games and vs the Eagles did struggle, though facing the Eagles is likely to do that to rookie offensive lineman.
Outside of the younger player, the Raiders will likely move on from Dylan Parham this season and Parham does deserve an opportunity elsewhere to shift back to right guard or center. Jordan Meredith finished 2024 strong before really struggling out of the gate in 2025 largely in part to a new offensive system, and the transition to center. Going forward, Meredith who’s an RFA will return more than likely in 2026 but likely into a role as a 4th IOL who can shift between C, LG, and RG. Kolton Miller is Kolton Miller and will anchor left tackle even despite his injuries the last two seasons he remains an impact tackle and an unlucky ankle sprain reduced his 2025 season where prior to injury Miller allowed just 5 pressures in 4 games. Stone Forsythe, Will Putnam, and Alex Cappa are replacement level players or backups and can’t be considered in the cards going forward.
The Raiders have two starters locked in next season with Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson, outside of them there’s 3 possible starter spots up for grabs in 2026. Caleb Rogers is playing well enough to at least compete and earn an opportunity to start in 2026, which he likely will be competing for with a new addition and/or DJ Glaze which leaves two spots at left guard and right tackle. The Raiders have over 100 million in cap space and should spend heavily on adding multiple offensive lineman to anchor the unit and let their be competition for the final 1-2 spots.
Tackle:
The Raiders won’t likely overspend on a tackle especially after drafting Charles Grant and he will likely have the chance to compete for that position along with DJ Glaze. Despite that, drafting a rookie is also realistic if the Raiders want to add a younger, cheaper player to the offensive line. Braden Smith headlines the tackle market this season and likely will earn north of 15 million a season at 30 years old. Smith has seen massive success in his career all at right tackle and all in Indianapolis which makes his departure highly unlikely if Indianapolis chooses to pay him. In the last three seasons, Smith has allowed just 5 sacks and 64 pressures though he’s missed time with injuries and been flagged 25 times as well. Jonah Williams has bounced back in Arizona as a serviceable right tackle but likely won’t increase the floor for the Raiders or the ceiling. Former Raiders T Jermaine Eluemunor is going to earn north of 9 million and anchor a teams right tackle position for likely another 3-4 seasons. Eluemunor has logged nearly 2000 snaps over the last two seasons where he’s allowed just 8 sacks and 47 pressures with 20 penalties. Eluemunor has been a starting RT for 4 straight seasons and consistently been among the better at the position, consistently providing good pass protection and run blocking though the penalty issues have risen. Eluemunor would enjoy coming back to Las Vegas, but the fit would have to be right. The tackle market is heavy at left tackle this off-season with a lack of RT, and the Raiders likely will need to bank on Grant or development. Other names to watch with most being depth or low ceiling, high floor options include Larry Borom (MIA), Rob Havenstein (LAR), Elijah Wilkinson (ATL), and Charlie Heck (TB)
Guard:
The guard market is the headline this off-season, mainly with Bills guard David Edwards being the staple. Edwards missed time from 2022-2023 with injuries and since 2024 he’s logged 2000 snaps allowing just 3 sacks and 54 pressures with 5.4 ypc as a lead blocker mainly at left guard where the Raiders have a good fit to come. Joel Bitonio and/or Wyatt Teller will likely be leaving the Browns this off-season and the veterans would be good stop gap fillers if the Raiders don’t view their younger talent as ready this season, though both could also be looking to win which wouldn’t fit Vegas. Titan’s Kevin Zeitler has a similar veteran stopgap filler role though at 36 coming away from the Titans, winning is likely in his priority to end his NFL career. Texans G Ed Ingram has seen a career revival in Houston after spending three seasons in Minnesota with the Vikings, Ingram has struggled at times in pass protection allowing 3 sacks and 23 pressures but his 5.2 ypc lead blocking has been monumental for the Texans offense. Paying a one year standout at OL is risky, but Ingram could be someone to bank on for the right price. Notable names Daniel Faalele (BAL) and Zion Johnson (LAC) will be popular but both have had extreme struggles this season and wouldn’t benefit the Raiders going forward other than as depth options. Names to watch that could be high floor names or players to bank on development include Cole Strange (MIA), Dalton Risner (CIN), Will Hernandez (ARZ), Jamaree Salyer (LAC), and Brady Christensen (CAR).
Center:
The clear cut top option, and maybe the best player to hit the market this off-season, is Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum. The multi time Pro Bowler likely won’t hit the open market strictly off the franchise tag but in the world he does, should be someone LV throws a blank check at. At just 26 years old, Linderbaum has allowed 5 sacks and 87 pressures in his career including just 2 sacks & 57 pressures since his rookie season in 2022. The center market in free agency is fairly competitive and deep with Jets C Josh Myers having a decent season and will likely receive a multi year deal after allowing just 1 sack and 25 pressures through 515 pass blocking snaps. Additionally, Browns C Ethan Pocic has continued to be a top 10 center and has allowed just 6 sacks and 62 pressures since 2023 in over 2800 snaps. Other names to watch include Panthers C Cade Mays who has earned his chance to start due to injury this season and been impressive.
