Tag: Brandon Parker

49ers sign former Raiders T Brandon Parker

After six years Brandon Parker’s time with the Raiders might actually be over

After six years with the Raiders, Brandon Parker’s time with the team might actually, finally be over. The former third round pick has signed on with the 49ers, the team announced Monday.

The Raiders were so nervous they could miss out on Parker in the 2018 draft, that they traded three picks to jump up ten spots in the third round.

The North Carolina A&T product was seen as the answer to start at right tackle with first round pick Kolton Miller at left tackle. Miller developed into a solid starting tackle. Parker…did not.

It was not for lack of chances. He was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie when Donald Penn was injured. He started a disastrouns 12 games that season.

He would start a handful of games over the next two seasons before, in the final year of his rookie contract, he was given another chance at being the starting right tackle, replacing draft bust Alex Leatherwood. Parker would give up eight sacks in 12 starts.

Somewhat surprisingly at that point, he was brought back the next season and suffered an injury that cost him all of 2022. Then he was brought back *again* last season, appearing in five games with one start.

After that run, it wouldn’t have surprised anyone if the Raiders brought him back for yet another go round. But this time, they actually let him walk. And for now he is a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

Raiders T Brandon Parker again lost for season with camp injury

For second straight year, Brandon Parker’s season is over before it began

Just a few days ago, Brandon Parker stood in front of us to talk about his hopes for making a comeback this year after an injury suffered in training camp cost him last season.

It was just prior to the start of joint practices and I asked him about the open competition last year and how it has changed in this year’s camp.

“It’s still a tough competition,” said Parker. “Jermaine Eluemunor played really great last year, Thayer [Munford Jr.] played really great as well. So, in order for me to even be in the mix, I have to step my game up because they both have evolved in the following year. So, every time I see them kind of do it right, I’m trying to get right up there with them because competition breeds excellence. So, it doesn’t do anything but help us all if everybody else is getting better.”

Now he has been placed on injured reserve, which means he is again lost for the season and thus the competition at right tackle.

A third round pick by the Raiders in 2018, he was one of the longest tenured Raiders players. After starting 13 games in 2021, the team brought him back on a one year deal. He entered into an open competition at the right tackle spot and would never really get that shot after an injury suffered in the Hall of Fame Game would end his season before it began.

The team brought him back again this offseason, giving him another shot at competing for the job, or at least competing for the jumbo package and reserve swing tackle spot.

But, once again, it was not to be. This time he was lost even before the first preseason game, suffering the injury last week in joint practices with the 49ers.

In a corresponding move, the Raiders brought back wide receiver Isaiah Zuber.

5 big questions on offense as Raiders wrap up minicamp

Raiders have a lot of pretty big questions facing them as they enter the heart of the offseason. Here are 5 facing the offense.

Every offseason brings questions that need answers. For this Raiders team, they may have more questions than answers. Some of these questions are no small thing.

Last week the Raiders wrapped up their offseason practices with their three-day mandatory minicamp. That means they have now entered the longest and final portion of the offseason. The next time these players convene will be training camp at the end of July.

They enter this six weeks with many things unsettled. Most of which will still be unsettled when camp begins, giving them a lot to think about over the next six weeks.

Raiders still have a big problem at tackle

Surprise! Tackle is still big problem for Raiders

It was apparent a year ago and pretty much every moment since then that the Raiders had a real problem at tackle. Despite this glaring issue, they did next to nothing to address it this offseason. So, it should come as no surprise the problem has not magically fixed itself. If anything, it’s worse now, because the season is fast approaching.

This issue is mainly about finding a viable starting right tackle. But based on what we saw in the Hall of Fame game last week, it extends even farther than that.

The Raiders used their first round pick in 2021 on Alex Leatherwood who lost the starting job four weeks into the season and has never gotten it back.

Thus far in camp, reports have Brandon Parker lining up as the first team right tackle more times than not. Despite countless chances over his first four seasons to develop into a starting caliber tackle, and never showing it, he is getting yet another shot and appears to be the leader in that race.

In reality, the Raiders should not be going into the season with Parker as the starter. It’s not just risky, it’s a risk that they’ve taken and been bitten by on more than one occasion already.

The problem there is should Parker take a backup spot, the ideal situation would be that the backup is a swing tackle. It was his performance in the Hall of Fame game that proved he is simply not the answer at swing tackle. 

With the Raiders sitting Kolton Miller for the game, Parker got the start…and he was completely destroyed. This included getting worked over by journeyman former Raiders edge rusher Arden Key.

Josh McDaniels said he will be trying out a few others on the left side for this Sunday’s preseason game against the Vikings.

“You’ll see a few different people over there,” McDaniels said of the left tackle spot. “We did some of that against Jacksonville. It’s an important opportunity. It’s like the backup quarterback; nobody talks about him until it’s the most important person in the organization. The same thing is true for the left tackle and the person that would swing on either side. Once you have an injury all of a sudden that position becomes really important. It’s not easy. So, to have the ability to do that, and we flop some guys during training camp to give them opportunities to work at that. It’s something that takes a lot of reps. It’s something that you’re getting a lot of calls on the right side that you’re not getting on the left side, so you’ve got to think very quickly on both sides. We’re going to gain more knowledge on that for sure on Sunday.”

Parker has been missing practice all week, so naturally other guys will have to get a look. But the mere fact that through last week he was leading the way among the tackles tells you something about the group as a whole.

They clearly don’t see Leatherwood as the answer if he’s playing behind Parker. And Josh McDaniels made it clear that while rookie Thayer Munford has gained a lot of confidence, the seventh round pick has “a long way to go.”

That leaves just Jermaine Eluemunor who started at right tackle for McDaniels for a season in New England, but who otherwise has spent much of his career lining up at guard.

Either someone on the roster needs to really step up soon or more drastic moves must be made. The prospect of going into the season with no starting right tackle and no trusted swing tackle is a very scary proposition, especially for the hopes of a high-powered offense.

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Raiders left tackle Brandon Parker had a rough Hall of Fame game

Raiders offensive tackle Brandon Parker has had a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at the Hall of Fame game.

The Las Vegas Raiders are still figuring out how their offensive line is going to go in the 2022 season. After the unfortunate efforts of Brandon Parker in the Hall of Fame game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, there might be more questions.

Parker was selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2018 draft out of North Carolina A&T, and last season as the team’s right tackle, he allowed nine sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 33 quarterback hurries. Not quite the 10 sacks he gave up in his rookie campaign, but not great. Per Pro Football Focus, only David Quessenberry of the Titans and Jonah Williams of the Bengals allowed more sacks last season among all offensive tackles, and only Liam Eichenberg and Jesse Davis of the Dolphins, and Storm Norton of the Chargers, allowed more total pressures.

If Parker was hoping for a rebound season in 2022, it didn’t start well. On the first play of the game, Parker was beaten by first-overall pick Travon Walker for a hurry of quarterback Jarret Stidham…

…and then, later in the first quarter, he gave up back-to-back sacks to Walker and former Raiders pass-rusher Arden Key. Walker got there straight on, and Key got his sack on a stunt.

And then, with 7:23 left in the first half, Parker gave up ANOTHER sack to Key — as detailed by our own Laurie Fitzpatrick.

That’s three sacks and a pressure allowed in less than one half of football. We understand that the Raiders are resting stud left tackle Kolton Miller in this game, but it might be time to get somebody else in there on the left side.

UPDATE: Later in the first half, Parker was replaced on the left side by Jermaine Eluemunor.

Raiders OL Brandon Parker now the favorite to win the right tackle job over Alex Leatherwood

Brandon Parker working ahead of Alex Leatherwood at right tackle?

The pads have officially come on at practice for the Raiders and this is when we can start to learn a little bit more about the team going into the season. The biggest camp battle on the roster is taking place at right tackle and the two players competing for the job are Brandon Parker and Alex Leatherwood.

While both players have gotten a ton of first-team snaps in practice, one player has emerged as the favorite to win the job. And it might not be who you expect.

In a recent article by Tashan Reed of The Athletic, he mentioned that Parker has seen more first-team reps than Leatherwood so far at practice. He believes that Parker is likely the favorite to win the right tackle job this year:

“On the other side of the trenches, the starting offensive line has remained consistent: Kolton Miller at left tackle, John Simpson at left guard, Andre James at center, Cotton at right guard and Brandon Parker at right tackle.

Though Alex Leatherwood has rotated in at right tackle and Dylan Parham has done the same at both guard spots, it’s clear they’re fighting from the outside looking in when it comes to earning starting roles.”

If Parker does win the starting right tackle job, that will leave Leatherwood to be the swing tackle and potentially the first offensive lineman off the bench. However, that would be an extremely disappointing outcome for the former first-round pick entering Year 2.

The preseason will likely decide this battle and don’t rule out the possibility of the Raiders rotating tackles during the season. But after one week of practice, this appears to be Brandon Parker’s job to lose.

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Day 2 of Raiders minicamp brings some shuffling at right tackle

Some shuffling at right tackle for Raiders on minicamp day 2

Through two Raiders OTA practice availabilities and one minicamp practice, the situation at right tackle was relatively unchanged. Day 2 of minicamp practices, for the first time we saw some changes.

Most notably Alex Leatherwood had been working as the first team right tackle up to this point, with Brandon Parker working at RT with the second team. Today, however, it was Parker who got the bulk of the first team work at RT, with Leatherwood stepping across the line to hold blocking pads.

The expectation has been that if Leatherwood was not working as the first team RT, he would be moving inside to guard where he started the final 13 games of last season. But even today with him not working with the first team, he still didn’t work at guard.

Despite Leatherwood’s consistent work at right tackle, he and the coaches have time and time again insisted the former 17 overall pick has been playing multiple positions.

“This spring I worked multiple positions,” Leatherwood after Wednesday’s practice. “I feel it’s all about getting that value of versatility, being able to play wherever the team needs me.”

Other players have been moving around a little, however. Day one of minicamp Jermaine Eluemunor was lining up with the second team at right guard. Today he slid over to right tackle quite a bit.

It’s worth noting that Eluemunor was the starting right tackle in Josh McDaniels’s offense in New England for eight games in 2020. They went 5-3 in those starts, so clearly McDaniels thinks he can do the job if called upon.

The consistent presence at right tackle has been round seven rookie Thayer Munford lining up with the third team.

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Raiders right tackle job is up for grabs with many suitors

Right tackle is shaping up to be a free-for-all in Las Vegas

To say the Raiders’ right tackle job is up for grabs would be an understatement. Predictions on who will be the starter come the season as well as opinions on who is should be are vast.

There are probably about five guys who could potentially take this spot. They include last year’s top pick Alex Leatherwood, incumbent Brandon Parker, journeyman Jermaine Eluemunor, guard Denzelle Good, and rookie seventh-round pick Thayer Munford.

One could make a case for any of these guys to stand out from the rest. But the truth is no one really knows how it will shake out. And that includes the coaching staff.

Leatherwood was selected at 17 overall in the 2021 draft to be the team’s right tackle and was moved inside after just four games. Could he have developed since then and reclaim the right tackle job? That is the primary question for him. He also wasn’t great at guard, but he has a high salary and that could prompt the team to try to get him on the field in some capacity.

Parker stepped into the right tackle job after Leatherwood was moved inside. He wasn’t great, but the team brought him back anyway which suggests they see something in him. Perhaps a backup swing tackle?

Eluemunor’s three starts last season all came at the right guard spot. But started eight games at tackle in 2020 with the Patriots and Josh McDaniels. That could give him a leg up in this competition.

Good slid over from guard to tackle early in the 2020 season and played quite well for a couple of games. He may be best suited at guard, but if he is one of the best five options to be on the field, tackle could be where he lines up.

Munford may be a seventh-round pick, but he has a lot of tackle experience and was projected as a mid-round pick. Being a draft pick of the new regime means they have high hopes for him and could favor him over holdovers from the previous staff’s roster.

Honestly, any of these guys have a legit shot at the right tackle job depending on how things shake out in camp. The next step is to see who is getting first-team reps come minicamp in June.

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Raiders GM Dave Ziegler wanted to address O-Line in free agency, but the market ‘went a different way’

Raiders GM Dave Ziegler wanted to address O-Line in free agency, but the market ‘went a different way’

The Raiders made their share of blockbuster moves when the new NFL year started recently, from signing EDGE Chandler Jones in free agency to acquiring star wide receiver Davante Adams via trade.

But those were just the headliners, as Las Vegas improved in multiple areas thanks to the efforts of Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels. There’s still one area on the roster that looks a bit shaky, however, especially considering the team’s performance last season.

It’s the offensive line. Right tackle, specifically. Rather than outsource for a solution during free agency, Ziegler re-signed Raiders offensive tackle Brandon Parker, despite his career-long struggles.

At the NFL owners’ meetings in Florida on Monday, Ziegler said that he did in fact have his eye on a free-agent offensive lineman, but the market didn’t break the Raiders’ way. That’s according to a report from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.

Ziegler said there was a free-agent offensive lineman that the Raiders were interested in, but “it went a different way so we went a different way.”

The “it” in the above paragraph refers to the free-agent market. Ziegler explained that in free agency, you never know how the market is going to go and you have to be ready to change strategies.

So Ziegler realizes the Raiders need help on the front line, but his plan was foiled. Making matters worse, Las Vegas traded its first two picks in the upcoming NFL Draft for Adams and can’t realistically address the O-Line issue there.

Not surprisingly, Ziegler was asked about Parker, since it appears he’s a fallback option. Here’s what Ziegler said, according to the same report from The Athletic.

“He has very good size, very good length, which are two important attributes at the offensive tackle position,” Ziegler said. “He’s an athletic guy for his size, and he is not a finished product. Brandon can continue to get better. He can learn from playing a lot of snaps last year. All these things were exciting.

“Those are all good traits to have in a guy that’s going to be playing … you know, have an opportunity to compete for a job at tackle position for us.”

It’s only late March, but it looks like Parker will get the first shot at the Raiders’ starting right tackle position, though he’s not a “finished product” by any means. He had some decent games late last season, but overall, Parker had a bad year, his fourth campaign since he was drafted by the Raiders in 2018.

Ziegler and McDaniels are clearly betting that Parker can improve. He has the measurables and raw physical ability that’s coveted for offensive tackles. That’s why the Raiders’ last regime actually traded up in the NFL Draft to select him.

But despite starting 32 games during his Raiders tenure thus far, Parker hasn’t improved much. With a new coaching staff, however, comes new possibilities.

Still, the Raiders would do well to look for better options all the way up to Week 1 of the NFL season. Parker might be bad enough to upend the Raiders’ plans on offense, especially with Adams and quarterback Derek Carr, who is slated to receive a new contract in Las Vegas.

Carr and Adams are good enough to work around issues on any offensive line, but when the games get tougher and each contest is decided on the margins, the Raiders will need better than Parker has shown in his career thus far. That goes for the run game as well.

But as I mentioned, it’s March, and NFL rosters are fluid. And hey, Parker could actually improve. Thankfully for the Raiders, it appears Ziegler is ready to call any audible he deems necessary.

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Raiders 2021 Season Ballers & Busters

Ballers & Busters for Raiders 2021 Season

The Raiders 2021 season ended a little over a week ago with their Wild Card loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. So, now it’s time to tally up the scores and name out Season Ballers and Season Busters.

Ballers

DE Maxx Crosby

Ten times, Crosby was named a Baller and five of those times he was Top Baller. He consistently got pressure on the quarterback, finishing the regular season with over 100 pressures (101). Then, as you might expect, he was a Baller one more time in the team’s playoff game. He finished with eight sacks, 30 QB hits and 13 tackles for loss.

WR Hunter Renfrow

Eight times Renfrow was a Baller and three of those times he was Top Baller. He started strong and ended strong being named a Baller for the first four games and the last two with a couple in-between. He finished with 103 catches for 1038 yards and nine touchdowns.

P AJ Cole

Six times Cole was a Baller. Though being the punter, he was never Top Baller, he consistently did his job at the highest level and earned the team’s only First-Team All-Pro nod because of it.

K Daniel Carlson

Seven times a Baller and twice a Buster. Carlson was clutch late in the season when the Raiders needed him most. The Raiders were playing some close games. From the start of the Raiders’ four-game win streak to end the season along with their Wild Card matchup in Cincinnati, he didn’t miss. And had he missed any of his field goals, the Raiders wouldn’t have made the playoffs.

DT Quinton Jefferson

Six times a Baller, twice a Top Baller. Jefferson was part of a rotation at the defensive tackle spot. He distinguished himself more and more as the season went on to be named a Baller three times in the team’s final four games including the Wild Card game.

RB Josh Jacobs

A Baller eight times this season, with seven of them coming down the stretch. That’s what we call a strong finish. And to think he did much of it while suffering from a rib injury.

LB Denzel Perryman

A Baller six times and a Top Baller once. For most of the season, he led the league in tackles. He was even among the league leaders despite missing two weeks to injury.

DE Yannick Ngakoue

Six times a Baller and once a Top Baller. Though he seemed to fade down the stretch, including being rendered invisible in the Wild Card loss to the Bengals, he still finished with a team-leading ten sacks and his presence on the left side helped keep opposing offense honest, leading to better pressure numbers across the line.

CB Nate Hobbs

Hobbs was a Baller four times this season, including being named Top Baller in the team’s Wild Card matchup. The fifth-round rookie came in immediately and solved the Raiders’ issue with finding a slot cornerback.

Honorable Mention

CB Casey Hayward — Though he just missed the cut as a Season Baller, he was a solid starter for the Raiders at outside corner. He was named a Baller four times and a Buster twice.

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