There was plenty of turnover at many positions for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. However, their offensive line didn’t oversee many changes. Other than the addition of a rookie, the unit returns intact.
The Raiders 2019 offensive line returned almost intact
The Raiders retooled their offensive line in 2019 after having one of the worst groups the season before. They signed Richie Incognito to a one-year prove-it deal and gave tackle Trent Brown a four-year $66 million contract. Along with center Rodney Hudson and guard Gabe Jackson, the two newcomers helped the offensive line go from allowing 52 sacks to 29. Moreover, Kolton Miller moved a step forward in his development. Although he isn’t a top tier tackle, he was significantly better in 2019 than he was in 2018, when he was one of the worst players at the position.
Someone once said that we shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken and that was the case with the Raiders offensive line in 2020. They gave Incognito a new two-year deal and reworked Denzell Good’s deal. Also, they drafted guard John Simpson out of Clemson in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Nevertheless, they refrained from making any meaningful signings, and instead, they chose to make a depth move ahead of training camp. One of those was tackle Sam Young, who looked solid in training camp. However, he was part of the final roster cuts.
There weren’t any shocking moves
The Raiders knew who their starters were going to be this season, so they evaluated players like David Sharpe and Brandon Parker in training camp. The team traded the former to the Washington Football Team, while the latter made the team after having a subpar 2019 season. Andre James and Denzelle Good remain the backups at center and guard respectively and Parker will be a swing tackle.
The Raiders offensive line was good last season, and with all its starters returning, it will likely be the same case in 2020. The starters should continue performing well and the backups should be able to take over if they need to. If the Raiders have a good offense in 2020, their hog mollies will be one reason why.
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