Getty Kelechi Osemele with Marshawn Lynch.
The Las Vegas Raiders offensive line continues to be a big talking point for the fan base. The team didn’t make any major additions in the offseason and the group got off to a rough start in Week 1, giving up six sacks to the Los Angeles Chargers. The team is also dealing with injuries as center Andre James has missed practice all week with a concussion.
The Raiders are aware they have an issue and took a look at some offensive linemen this week. Most notably, the team hosted former All-Pro guard Kelechi Osemele. He was with the team from 2016 to 2018 and was one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL during that stretch. Unfortunately, he’s been brutalized by injuries in recent years and hasn’t played a game since 2020. While fans were excited about the idea of him returning, it doesn’t appear like it’s going to happen.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders took a look and have decided to pass.
Tafur later said on the “State of the Nation” podcast that there was still concern with the tendons that he tore in both knees back in 2020. That’s a disappointing development for Osemele as it would’ve been a great story for him to come back to the Raiders and help fix their offensive line issues. Even if the team did take a chance on him, he hasn’t been a dominant player for at least five years. Perhaps the team could take another look later in the season if he’s able to get his body right down the road.
Raiders ‘Not Searching for Anything’
One of the interesting developments from Week 1 was the strategy for the offensive line. The team ended up playing seven different offensive linemen throughout the game despite not having injuries. Teams never want to be shuffling their offensive line like that so it’s a situation to watch going forward. Head coach Josh McDaniels had a chance to talk about the strategy and didn’t want to make too much of it.
“We’re not searching for anything. We’re playing the guys that deserve to play,” McDaniels said Monday. “If something were to break and we say, ‘Hey, these five are clearly different from the other five,’ then we could go in that direction.”
How Concerned Should Raiders Be About OL?
The offensive line struggles in Week 1 didn’t come as a big surprise. That said, there’s no reason to panic quite yet. The Raiders aren’t playing teams that have Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa rushing the edges every week. Most offensive lines would struggle against that pass rush.
At this point in the season, the Raiders aren’t going to find major upgrades on the offensive line. Teams don’t trade offensive linemen during the season. Good ones are too hard to find. Whether they like it or not, Las Vegas is going to have to rely on their current group for the rest of the season. It’s still possible that they add a veteran or two in the coming weeks but there doesn’t seem to be a sense of urgency to add to the group right now.