Some good news for Las Vegas Raiders fans is that stalwart left tackle Kolton Miller is ready to pick up where he left off from late last season.
Reflecting on last year, Miller’s challenges raised concerns among some members of Raider Nation. It was clear that he was not at full strength, and the outcomes indicated that he was still in the process of recovering from shoulder surgery. Statistically speaking, Miller gave up six sacks in the Raiders’ first four games. Prior to that, he had only surrendered four in the previous two years combined. Let’s just call it what it is—a forgettable season, mostly.
Then, everything began to align. Miller started to resemble the reliable player that Raiders fans had grown accustomed to. As Pro Football Focus pointed out, the former UCLA star only gave up two more sacks after that rough initial stretch. His performance was en route to an 82.2 pass-blocking grade, which was the third-best assessment of his career.
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Kolton Miller is ready to go for the Raiders
Looking ahead to training camp and the regular season, Raiders beat writer Vincent Bonsignore recently addressed the situation surrounding Miller. When asked in his mailbag about Miller’s health, Bonsignore wrote that he “is fully healed from the shoulder surgery that cost him all of last offseason, including the majority of training camp. If you remember, Miller took part in the team’s offseason activities this year, which included a three-day minicamp. The news is definitely a positive sign.
“That is a far cry from last year, when he was not cleared to begin full practices until the end of training camp,” Bonsignore added. As previously mentioned, if Miller continues his previous performance and maintains his current health, new Raiders quarterback Geno Smith could find himself protected by one of the league’s most underrated tackles.
Next on the agenda is the long-term situation regarding Kolton Miller; will we see a new contract soon? The issue will certainly be a discussion point if nothing gets done by the start of the regular season.
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