It was clear that the Las Vegas Raiders wanted to add another veteran offensive lineman when they put in a waiver claim for Geron Christian recently. He ended up getting picked up by the Houston Texans, which led to the Raiders looking elsewhere. It didn’t take them long to find another option.
The team announced on Monday that they’ve decided to sign veteran offensive guard Patrick Omameh.
We have signed free agent OL Patrick Omameh.
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The new should be familiar to Raiders fans as he spent most of last season in Las Vegas. Omameh played in six games for the team before getting waived in December. He also spent time with Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints last season. He’s been in the league for seven years and has bounced around quite a bit. Outside of Richie Incognito and Denzelle Good, the Raiders are very young at offensive guard. It’s wise to bring in a savvy veteran prior to offseason workouts.
Omameh isn’t competing for a starting job but he could bring solid depth to the position. If first-round pick Alex Leatherwood struggles, Good may have to play a little bit of tackle, which would leave an opening at guard. Omameh could be a better option there than second-year player John Simpson.
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Kolton Miller Ranked as 23rd Best OT in NFL
Heading into Week 1 last year, the Raiders had a very strong, veteran offensive line. This year, the team is going to have a much younger group of guys. Kolton Miller figures to be the best player in the group. Though he got off to a rough start in his career, Miller is now a dependable tackle who is excellent in pass blocking. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s the 23rd best offensive tackle in the NFL:
Then in 2020, Miller came out a far more polished pass-blocker. He went from ranking dead last among left tackles in pass-blocking grade in 2018 to 24th in 2019 to 11th in 2020. Miller’s run-blocking is still on shaky ground, but that’s something the Raiders can live with. What’s important is that he’s now holding his own in the passing game and keeping Derek Carr worry-free about his blindside.
23 might sound low but the rankings include both left and right tackles. They’ll be 64 starting tackles in the NFL so it’s promising that Miller is ranked in the top half. However, the Raiders recently made him one of the highest-paid offensive linemen in the NFL. He needs to take another leap in 2021 if he’s going to be worth the money.
Richie Incognito Ranked as 18th Best OG in NFL
One of the better moves the Raiders made this offseason was cutting Richie Incognito and signing him at a lesser price. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s still the 18th best guard in the NFL:
Getting on in years but still an impressive player, Richie Incognito started last season at the same high standard he has maintained for years before injury put him out for the year. The veteran has three consecutive seasons of 80.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grades (albeit separated by his one-year sabbatical) and was on pace for another after one game of action. The question for Incognito is whether age has caught up with him in terms of durability, even if it isn’t slowing his play.
If Incognito can stay healthy, he’s a dominant precense. The Raiders just have to hope he can play all 17 games. He’s missed 18 games in two years with the team.
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Raiders Sign Former Saints, Chiefs Lineman