Despite being 2-0 in the preseason, the Las Vegas Raiders are not without some concerns. One of those is on the right side of the offensive line. Head coach Josh McDaniels, fresh off yesterday’s victory over the Minnesota Vikings, gave an honest assessment of one of those linemen, Thayer Munford.
In yesterday’s preseason contest, Munford got the early nod to start at the right tackle spot. McDaniels has been trying different lineups the last few weeks, even in camp where this is the norm. For most of the contest, Munford was the lone bright spot on the Raiders’ O-line, which is concerning, to say the least. This year’s seventh-round pick gave up two pressures against the Vikings, which was based on 25 pass-blocking snaps.
What did Josh McDaniels have to say about Thayer Munford?
Speaking to the media today, McDaniels was asked about Munford’s performance.
“For the most part, we were headed in the right direction. In pass protection, there were a couple of things that we saw that we can do better as a group. Generally speaking, he acquitted well for himself and did some things that he’s been doing on the practice field. It was good to see some of that stuff carry over to the game. We obviously had a lot of rookies on the field yesterday. A lot of them with things that they’re going to learn from today when we watch the film, but generally speaking I think there was some progress.”
The issue with Munford’s performance is that it was against second- and third-stringers. That’s often the case with preseason, obviously. However, despite having Munford showing progress, as McDaniels alluded to, that won’t be enough this season. The Raiders are, by all intents and purposes, in win-now mode. Rolling into the 2022 regular season with either Munford or Alex Leatherwood at right tackle is rather concerning. Should the Raiders seriously consider bringing in a veteran right tackle? Well, the smart money says yes. Nevertheless, things have been quiet on that end so far.
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