Highlights from Monday night’s thriller are all over the interwebs today, but one player that isn’t among those highlights that deserves a lot more credit is Kolton Miller.
Miller was barely referenced in the ESPN broadcast on Monday night and for a left tackle, that’s a good thing. In 65 pass-blocking situations against the Ravens, Miller gave up only two pressures to the Baltimore defense. Miller was also solid as a run blocker in week one (which hasn’t always been his strength), and no player on the Raiders’ offense was given a higher Pro Football Focus grade.
In fact, only three offensive tackles in the NFL graded higher than Miller this week.
In week 2 the challenge gets a little more difficult for Miller as the Steelers feature arguably the best edge rusher in the league. If not the best edge rusher on the planet, T.J. Watt is at least the highest paid.
If Miller makes another statement with his play in Pittsburgh next week, it will be time to start recognizing him as one of the very best (top 5?) at his position.
Six months ago, Miller signed a contract extension that ties him to the Raiders through 2025. It looked like a somewhat team-friendly deal at the time and only gets better for the Raiders if Miller continues to rank among the best tackles in the league.
Jon Gruden took a lot of heat for drafting Miller (over Derwin James even), but three years later the decision isn’t looking bad at all. A top offensive tackle is generally more valuable than a safety… and always more valuable than an often-injured safety.
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