It’s not a surprise that the Raiders are having issues on the offensive line. Going into training camp, preseason and the regular season, everyone knew that it would be a problem area for the team.
The hope has always been that the unit could improve as the season went on, but that hasn’t quite yet. Even promising rookie Dylan Parham struggled more in Week 2 than he did in Week 1.
So where does the offensive line of the Raiders rank compared to the rest of the NFL? Surely, they can’t be last, right?
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he ranked all 32 offensive lines in the NFL after two games. Not surprisingly, the Raiders did not finish high. They were ranked at No. 31, just ahead of the New York Giants.
Here is what Monson had to say about the unit after two games:
“After playing so well at right guard in the first game of the season, rookie Dylan Parham was moved into center against Arizona and struggled far more. This line was already struggling badly before they had to reshuffle to accommodate injury.
Seven different players have already given up pressure, and they have six penalties as a group. Blocking Jeffery Simmons will be one of the tougher assignments this interior has all season, which could give the Titans’ defense a big bounce-back opportunity this week.”
The Raiders are playing several young players on the offensive line, such as Thayer Munford, John Simpson and Parham. But they need their veterans, such as Kolton Miller, to play better as well.
The unit just hasn’t been good enough through two games and now, it’s starting to really impact the offense. At some point, the Raiders will need to consider bringing in some outside help to beef up the offensive line.
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