Since being signed by the Oakland Raiders, Rodney Hudson has been the best center in football and the numbers prove it. The question is if he can maintain the momentum amid so many changes to the offensive line?
The term for the Raiders offensive line of “Carr Insurance” has gone thru a major shake up. Long gone are Donald Penn and Kelechi Osemele and instead, the unit finds itself with more questions than answers. The only thing that remains a constant is Hudson.
Kolton Miller will be entering his second year with the Silver and Black and is still very much an unknown as far as being the long term answer at left tackle. Why is that? Well, he has to remain healthy first. Also, Richie Incognito was signed to a one-year deal by the Raiders which seems to provide a stop gap solution at left guard rather than a permanent fixture.
Related: Is signing Richie Incognito a desperation move by the Raiders?
Last year, Hudson’s individual play wasn’t affected by the injuries or changes to the offensive line and thrived in spite of the coaching of Tom Cable. Pro Football Focus recently shared via Twitter an interesting tidbit on Hudson in which they named him the best Raiders offensive player in 2018.
Center Rodney Hudson was our highest-graded #Raiders offensive player in 2018 âš“ï¸
Who will it be in 2019?
Get PFF for all Raiders data: https://t.co/9k7sHfJKNE pic.twitter.com/89FLQ1JIYg
— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) May 28, 2019
There’s no reason to think Hudson will not repeat this performance barring major injury or Antonio Brown emerging to take that crown from the veteran center. Another thing that some are pondering is whether he will be in head coach Jon Gruden’s long term plan as he’s slated to be an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
Keeping the key contributor should be a no-brainer for observers, especially given the fact there’s no heir to the center position behind Hudson right now. Without rehashing old stories or naming any individuals however, Gruden has shocked many with past decisions so we’ll reserve judgement until then.
Much of the success that the Raiders have this year will hinge on Derek Carr’s performance but in order to have that, the offensive line must keep him upright. And while there’s definitely some concerns, Raider Nation can take solace in knowing the big man in the middle will still be there… for now.
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