Getty Kelechi Osemele with former Raiders teammates.
After a Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders have been scouring the market for options to improve the secondary and offensive line. The team already signed a possible backup center to the practice squad in Billy Price but that doesn’t fix their issues at guard or right tackle.
Despite the lack of moves to address the offensive line this offseason, the Raiders are starting to show more urgency in adding depth. The team brought in former All-Pro offensive guard Kelechi Osemele for a visit, per the wire.
FYI: Offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele is here in Las Vegas to visit with the @Raiders. Osemele played with the Raiders from 2016-2018. He hasn’t played since injuring both knees in Week 5, 2020, playing against the Raiders as a member of the Chiefs.
This was confirmed by Osemele as he posted that he was staying at the Raiders’ team hotel on his Instagram Story.
Kelechi Osemele is Las Vegas #RaiderNation
Raiders fans are quite familiar with the guard as he spent three seasons with the team from 2016 to 2018. During his first two years with the team, he was one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. When Tom Cable was hired as offensive line coach in 2018, Osemele fell off as he wasn’t a fit with the coach’s scheme. He eventually got traded to the New York Jets and has bounced around the NFL since. He most recently played with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020 before he suffered torn tendons in both knees. He has not played since suffering those injuries.
Osemele Looks to Be in Great Shape
It’s fair to question if Osemele can come close to returning to the form that saw him be named First-Team All-Pro in 2016. Injuries have derailed his career as he hasn’t played more than 11 games in a season since 2017. Osemele isn’t letting the setbacks stop him from at least working at a comeback.
Prior to last season, he posted a video of him working out and he showed off impressive footwork.
If you are wondering how Kelechi Osemele’s recovery is going. He posted this on Instagram yesterday. Those are some quick feet. #Chiefs
More recently, Osemele posted a video of him deadlifting a large amount of weight.
He appears to be fully recovered from his injuries and just got a year off. If the Raiders don’t sign him, it likely won’t have to do with the kind of physical shape he is in.
Raiders May Exercise Patience With OL
Bringing Osemele back to the Raiders would certainly be a good story. Derek Carr would be thrilled to see a familiar face and he was beloved by the fan base. However, it’s fair to question if he’d be much of an upgrade over what the team has right now. It’s not a bad idea to at least give him a chance but he’d be a difficult player to rely on due to his injury history.
While everybody wants the team to make big upgrades on the offensive line, that’s not easy to do this time of year. The Raiders have a young offensive line and the group could get better as the season goes on. Not every team has a pass rushing duo of Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Left tackle Kolton Miller had one of the worst games of his career against the Chargers but he should bounce back. There’s no need to panic about the offensive line quite yet but the Raiders should continue to explore their options in the event that the group continues to struggle.