Heading into Week 2, the Raiders knew their offensive line depth would be tested. Starting right tackle Trent Brown was out with a calf injury and his backup in Sam Young was out as well after sustaining an injury in Week 1.
That was only the beginning of their problems on the offensive line. After only a few plays, starting left guard Richie Incognito was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game with an Achilles injury. That forced fourth-round rookie John Simpson into the starting lineup and he expectedly struggled.
In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about the biggest studs and duds from the 2020 rookie class in Week 2. Not surprisingly, Simpson’s name showed up on the list after a poor showing versus the Saints. Here is a snippet of Monson’s thoughts on the former Clemson guard:
“His biggest issue came in pass protection, where he ended the game with a lowly 11.8 PFF grade after surrendering five total pressures. The volume of pressure wasn’t as big a problem as the type of pressure allowed, with multiple decisive and near-immediate losses causing problems for the Raiders’ offense.
In addition to those pressures, there were also five clean losses in pass protection where the ball came out before it could become pressure on Derek Carr. Simpson fared better in the run game, which isn’t to say well. He was beaten for three tackles, all of which were defensive stops, and was routinely struggling to make headway against the Saints’ defensive linemen.”
The good news for the Raiders and Simpson going forward is that he should see a ton of reps over the next few weeks with Incognito on the injured reserve list. Without a preseason and limited practices, it’s not a shock to see Simpson struggle out of the gate. However, the hope is that the more he plays, the more comfortable he will be at left guard.
Keep an eye on Simpson in Week 3 as he will have a tough matchup against the Patriots. But if he can show improvement as a pass-blocker, the Raiders might just be okay at left guard until Incognito is healthy and ready to go. If he continues to give up too much pressure, the Raiders might need to go to free agency or explore a trade to upgrade the position in the meantime.
[vertical-gallery id=73907]
[lawrence-newsletter]