The Raiders made several significant moves on their offensive line this offseason, including trading away three proven players in Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson and Trent Brown.
However, there is still a lot of optimism in the building about their offensive line this year. One of the biggest reasons why is the return of Richie Incognito, who played just two games before missing the rest of the season with an Achilles injury.
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he ranked Incognito as the 18th-best offensive guard in the NFL heading into the 2021 season. Here are his thoughts on the soon-to-be 38-year old guard:
“Getting on in years but still an impressive player, Richie Incognito started last season at the same high standard he has maintained for years before injury put him out for the year. The veteran has three consecutive seasons of 80.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grades (albeit separated by his one-year sabbatical) and was on pace for another after one game of action. The question for Incognito is whether age has caught up with him in terms of durability, even if it isn’t slowing his play.”
When healthy, Incognito is one of the best guards in the NFL. And the combination of Kolton Miller and Incognito on the left side is among the best pairings in football. If Incognito can stay healthy, this line has a chance to be much better than the version we saw last year.
The Raiders really need Incognito to stay healthy, but that’s been a bit of a problem over the last two years. But if he can play 14-17 games this year, look for the Raiders to have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. That’s just how important he is for the Raiders this season.
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