With free agency under a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ guard position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Richie Incognito, Gabe Jackson
Backups: Denzelle Good, Lester Cotton Sr
Free agents: None
Last offseason’s addition of Richie Incognito came with some controversy. He had had a tumultuous NFL career that included a suspension for bullying and the use of racial slurs to a teammate. He was also out of football for a year after abruptly retiring and while away had several run-ins with the police that would no doubt have the 36-year-old guard facing NFL discipline upon re-entry into the league.
Incognito would serve a two-game suspension to begin the season, but before and after that, he was a model teammate and showed no signs that he was ready for retirement. Over his 12 games as a starter, he was one of the top offseason acquisitions and a key part of the Raiders offensive line. The Raiders subsequently signed him to a 2-year extension.
On the right side, it was longtime Raider Gabe Jackson. At times in his career Jackson was among the better guards in the league. But he hasn’t been at that level over the past couple of seasons. He’s rather average now while being one of the higher paid guards in the league.
Denzelle Good stepped in for Jackson late in the season due to injury and played well, with no noticeable dropoff. He was also re-signed this offseason to a one-year deal as a dependable backup. Cotton was an undrafted rookie who was called up late last season from the practice squad.
Condition: Stable
This trio is one that many teams would love to have. Good is a valuable piece in this to solidify the unit. The question mark may be Jackson, who is set to make $9.6 million this season and would leave behind no dead money if traded or released. He is better suited for a power scheme, so he could be more valuable to a team that runs one, which the raiders do not. Good being in-house keeps the position stable should the Raiders decide to move Jackson.
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