The Raiders are hoping to get better results from their offensive line in 2025 and, for now at least, it looks like they have settled on four of their five O-line starters.
The one offensive line position still up in the air seems to be left guard spot and according to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, the Raiders might be open to making a trade if Jordan Meredith earns the job.
At one time, Carpenter believed Thayer Munford might be the odd man out along the Raiders’ offensive line, but he brought up another name to watch this week on his podcast.
“Dylan Parham is going to get every chance to compete everywhere… He can play the three interior spots. But coming out of minicamp, I don’t see him unseating Meredith. I don’t see him unseating Jackson Powers-Johnson or Delmar ‘DJ’ Glaze,” Carpenter said last week on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“So then the question the Raiders have to ask themselves is, ‘Are we comfortable with Caleb Rogers and do we keep Dylan because he’s a high-quality player?'”
“There’s going to be a trade market for him,” Carpenter continued. “I personally, because he’s so young, would not trade him, but he’s going to have another deal coming. So they may have to make the decision… maybe they make that move.”
Meredith might have an edge at left guard, but Raiders.com columnist Paul Gutierrez believes there is a third player in the mix to earn the starting job.
“Left guard is going to be a heck of a training camp storyline with Thayer Munford getting a lot of reps there, with Dylan Parham being the incumbent,” Gutierrez said last week on Raider Nation Radio’s Unnecessary Roughness with Q Myers.
For most of his three-year NFL career, Munford has occupied the role of ‘swing tackle’ with the Raiders and has started 18 games since being drafted in 2022.
If Munford is in the mix at multiple positions, his versatility might make him a little more valuable.
It’s also possible that after drafting Rogers in the third round, the coaching staff might be looking at different roles for Munford in the final year of his rookie contract.
As far as trades are concerned, it’s hard to imagine Munford or Parham, who is also entering the final year of his rookie contract, will have significant trade value considering their expiring contracts.
x: @raidersbeat
I don’t know why they would think that Parham is the answer at LG. He constantly gets driven back into the QB. He just doesn’t have the anchor strength. Time to give up on the Parham experiment. The OL needs upgrading.
You said it Oak. There was a time when some Raiders linemen were household names. Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Still, if this new regime wants to be successful, they need to realize that absolutely NO positions, on this or any other football team, is more important than the offensive line. With it teams can do ANYTHING offensively and without a superior offensive line NO team can do anything.
A couple of years ago, Joe Burrows suffered because of a lack of offensive line play. In the last Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes was rendered ineffective because of offensive line play. The Philadelphia Eagles have perfected the Tush Push because of, you guessed it, the play of the offensive line. Also, CJ Stroud’s heroics were neutralized because of an impotent offensive line. Even Lamar Jackson runs so much because of mediocre offensive line play.
Without superior offensive line play, eventhough the Raiders drafted the best college running back, the Raiders run game WILL NOT be as effective as it could be. For those of you old enough to remember, the Buffalo Bills had a runningback named OJ Simpson and his success was because of his exemplary offensive line.
Surely, as stated in this article, it’s very improbable that the Raiders won’t go from worse to first in rushing this year. However, if the Raiders want to protect their investment, in Geno Smith and Ashton Genty, it would behoove them do their due diligence in securing the offensive line first and foremost.
In short, Chip Kelly’s offensive brilliance will be wasted without adequate pass blocking and run blocking and Geno’s and Ashton’ careers will both be significantly reduced without it.
I’ve never been sold on Kolton Miller either, seems to be constantly getting bullrushed by players that he outweighs by 50 or 60 lbs… I would have preferred a stud o lineman in round one and then taken the rb from Az State…
Good stuff Hondo and good job, yes keep this up and keep breaking it down! Listen, WHEN WE WON CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WERE A REAL POWER HOUSE THE RN HELD THE Raiders ACCOUNTABLE. (WE POINTED OUT THE WEAK LINKS, where it was we needed help AND MADE THIS TEAM ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS.) BOTTOM LINE, It works and we won and we won big. Pound the table then and lobby this team, losing is not acceptable in the RN! The positions which are not performing won’t cut it to win.
It is not personal in the NFL it is just buisness. The Raiders in Lost Vegas is not peronal, no one but the monopolies can do buisness in California, it’s just buisness baby. When we make them accountable and they are anyway, the RN wins. Say it loud, say it proud, it is time to win again!