Arguably the Raiders’ biggest strength heading into the 2020 season is their offensive line. After bringing in proven veterans such as Richie Incognito and Trent Brown, the Raiders had one of the league’s best offensive lines last season.
But as good as the unit was last season, they have a chance to be even better this year. One way the group can improve is if Gabe Jackson can rebound from a down season. According to Pro Football Focus, Jackson finished the season with the worst-graded (61.8) year of his career.
Jackson struggled at times last season, especially as a run blocker. While health issues could have contributed to that, he just never looked like his usual self. In a recent article by ESPN, Jackson was named the team’s biggest bounce-back candidate. Here are their thoughts on his season from 2019:
“(Gabe) Jackson missed the first six weeks of 2019 due to injury, and things didn’t go well upon his return. By season’s end, he had matched the worst pass-block grade of his six-year career (75.6) and also turned in a run-block grade of just 53.6, his worst single-season mark to date. His PFF overall grade was still slightly above-average, but that’s still worlds away from the 70.0-plus marks he frequently hit in his five seasons prior.”
The good news for the Raiders is that Jackson is healthy now and with his salary being guaranteed by the team earlier this offseason, he’s looked into his starting role. Jackson doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his contract, so this is a make-or-break year for the veteran guard.
If Jackson can bounce back and play at the level we saw earlier in his career, the Raiders could easily have one of the best interior offensive lines in the NFL. How Jackson performs this year for the Raiders could be a harbinger for the team’s ultimate outcome.
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