Prior to Trent Brown’s return in Week 5, there were rumors circulating that the Las Vegas Raiders were getting frustrated with their injured star. That frustration should be gone now as Brown proved once again why he’s one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. An already excellent Raiders offense hit another level with him on the field. There’s no doubt he helps open up the run game in a big way while also keeping Derek Carr clean.
While Brown had a great game on Sunday, he put the NFL on notice with a strong message.
I missed 8 weeks and played pretty decent Sunday. When I get my legs back… 🤗
When Brown’s healthy, he’s arguably the best right tackle in the NFL. He’s a behemoth of a man and has good quickness for a man of his size. There’s a reason the Raiders made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL when they signed him.
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Brown’s Former OL Coach Gives Insight
Brown may be back now but that doesn’t mean the concerns about him don’t magically disappear. Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal did a deep dive on the Pro Bowler and revealed that he does have some character defects. Brown’s offensive line coach with the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 Pat Flaherty gave some insight on the right tackle.
“Is Trent a self-starter? Not all the time,” Flaherty said, per Bonsignore. “A high percentage of the time? Eh, I don’t know. But you have guys like that and it’s up to you as a coach to get them started.”
Flaherty does see flaws in Brown but he does think that the right tackle gets better when the going gets tough.
“I enjoyed coaching him because I thought he responded, from that standpoint,” Flaherty said.
Brown plays well when he needs to but that doesn’t mean he won’t cause headaches along the way.
“Trent was kind of hard to reach sometimes,” Flaherty said. “You would get the opinion that it wasn’t important to him. But when it was rug-cutting time, he demonstrated that it was important.”
Anytime he’s played, Brown has done an excellent job. There’s no concern about him when he’s on the field. The Raiders will hope that he’s able to stay on the field so the frustrations don’t begin to creep back in.
Raiders OL Almost at Full Strength
With Brown looking like he’s finally back in the lineup full-time, the Raiders are close to getting their offensive line at full strength. Since the beginning of last season, they’ve only had all of their starters together for a handful of snaps. The only missing piece right now is Richie Incognito, who has played at a very high level since joining the team.
He was put on the injured reserve early in the season but has a chance to be back after the current bye week. Once he’s back, the Raiders will have arguably the best offensive line in the entire NFL.
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Raiders Star Puts NFL on Notice After Triumphant Return