The Las Vegas Raiders have used free agency ideally this offseason. They’ve added veteran leadership at crucial positions at an affordable yet fair price on nearly every occasion. They’ve shown their willingness to spend money when it makes sense, as they did with the signing of defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. However, they’ve also demonstrated their unwillingness to pay players more than they feel they are worth, as they showed by letting running back Josh Jacobs leave in free agency.
Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco has set the Raiders up for success about as well as he could have this early into his first offseason at the helm. As the NFL Draft nears and the Raiders continue to add to their team, how they prioritize their position of needs should change.
So far, the Raiders have successfully filled out their running back position with young talent and veteran experience in their backfield. They’ve added to their quarterback room and expect to add another quarterback soon. They added to their depth along the defensive line and are so stocked at wide receiver there is no real need to prioritize their receiving unit this offseason.
In the last two seasons, the Raiders offensive line was arguably one of their best all-around units. They had solid, dependable starters and depth players at nearly every position on the offensive line.
Jermaine Eluemunor’s ability to play both tackle spots and many of their offensive linemen’s ability to play multiple positions along the line help mask the minor depth issues Raiders had last season.
Considering that most of their offensive linemen played a large portion of the team’s offensive plays last season, losing Eluemunor and Greg Van Roten are two losses that cannot be understated for the Raiders.
While all eyes will be on the quarterback position and what the Raiders do at other, more high-profile positions, the fact is that most of the different positions receiving the most attention depend on the offensive line to play well. As the Raiders continue to search for serviceable pieces to add to their roster and successfully add quality players to their team, how highly they prioritize solidifying certain positions as well. With the moves they’ve made this offseason, the Raiders should consider using both the NFL draft and free agency to bolster their offensive line.
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