Many fans were on board with the Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to part ways with right tackle Trent Brown. He was called everything from ‘lazy’ to ‘injury-prone,’ but will moving on from him bring serious consequences?Â
Brown’s stint with the Raiders was, well, colorful if nothing else. It seemed like there was constant drama and issues surrounding the tackle, and not for the best either. However, a lot of it was out of his control, such as the near medical catastrophe when air got into his bloodstream via an IV mishap. That notwithstanding, moving on from Brown has the potential to come back and bite the Raiders in the rear end.
The Raiders completely revamped their offensive line this offseason in hopes of becoming faster and more athletic. This could end up restoring the team’s run game that began to slip in 2020. Regardless of how you feel about the moves, this unit has potential but replacing Brown lands on the shoulders of a rookie, Alex Leatherwood. Essentially, the Raiders drafted Brown’s replacement rather than spending on the position in free agency. This is risky to say the least, so much so, that some have dubbed it the worst move for the organization this offseason.
The Raiders will be crossing their fingers and hoping…
The Athletic recently surveyed the NFL and tallied the worst offseason decisions by all 32 teams. Lord and behold, the Raiders making the switch at right tackle was the designated move for Las Vegas. Vic Tafur shared his thoughts on the move, essentially, it’s a gamble for the Raiders.
Given how motivated Brown has looked this offseason, the trade doesn’t appear to have made much sense as Tafur pointed out.
“They should have kept him and paid him the $14 million he was due this season, because Brown, 28, had already dropped a ton of weight this spring and is motivated for another big payday.”
Yes, the man plays for the money, so what, the NFL is a business. Fans saying they didn’t want Brown because he didn’t want to be Raider is ludicrous in retrospect. If Brown was ready to dominate again in search of another big contract, why wouldn’t you milk that?
Leatherwood now goes into a difficult situation as a starting rookie. He’ll have big shoes to fill because let’s face it, when Brown was on the field, he was one of the best.
Fair or not, the Alabama product will be judged right out of the gate, luckily he has Tom Cable to guide him. As for Brown, he will likely end up having a stellar season under Bill Belichick while the Raiders pin their hopes on a rookie. Either the team will come out looking like geniuses or there could be serious ramifications this season.
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*Top Photo: Trent Brown/Christian Petersen