Raiders Offensive Line: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

In attempting to reestablish their new identity by going back to the old, they aren’t rushing the process and are looking for a specific type of player that fits the mold of a two-year rebuild, with 2028 being the year they expect to get back to the NFL Playoffs and return each and every year.

With each of our positional breakdowns, we offer not only scouting reports but also a realistic evaluation of the players, including whether they should be considered roster locks, whether their jobs are in jeopardy, or any potential trade value they carry.

Offensive Line: Nine

I believe the Raiders' target number of offensive linemen to keep on the 53-man roster is nine. Last year, they carried 10, but I do not believe they were thrilled about it. I could see them going as few as eight, also a number I don’t think they would be thrilled about, and internally, the number nine is their sweet spot.

No. 1: LT Kolton Miller, 6’8” 326 lbs.

The Raiders are fortunate at the most important position on the offensive line, left tackle (with a right-handed QB), to have a top-five player in the veteran and fully healthy Miller. Equally great as a person as he is as a player, he is the best news imaginable for the QB room and the franchise.

There isn't much to say about Miller that hasn't already been said. When healthy, he can shut opponents down. He missed four games due to a shoulder injury in 2023 and 13 games last year due to a severe ankle fracture, but he is a dependable weapon.

No. 2: C Tyler Linderbaum, 6’2” 305 lbs.

Linderbaum is the best interior offensive lineman in the National Football League and a generational talent already regarded as one of the best ever to play the game. Anytime you have a player in their prime with a clear path to Canton, Ohio, and the Professional Football Hall of Fame, you count your blessings.

He is amazingly athletic, moving like a ballerina on the football field more than a three-hundred-pound wrecking ball; he has amazing stamina and endurance, and while he plays with the edge of an assassin, he is a warm and engaging human being. A lot of people say that he was fortunate to be a Raider, but the Raiders are truly fortunate to have him.

To have him and Miller on the same line for your eventual starter in the first overall selection, Fernando Mendoza, is a luxury most teams only dream of. Watching him in the fourth quarter, when most men his size are sucking wind, spring forty yards downfield and deliver one of those helmet-rattling LinderBOMBS is a thing of beauty and true artistic wonder.

Watching him (sadly, he is a Hawkeye, not a Spartan) from college through the pros has been a front-row seat to what happens when someone simply determines no one will outwork them. Let the games commence. The LinderBOMB has been added to the Silver and Black's arsenal.

No. 3: (All Five OL Spots) Trey Zuhn III, 6’7” 319 lbs.

This rookie is a player the Raiders' incredible scouting department eyed early, and we had him coming to the Raiders and spoke about him for months leading up to the NFL Draft. Many believe he is destined to be the eventual replacement for Kolton Miller when he retires, with his frame being ideal for the critical LT role, but the reality is that he is a unicorn in the football world. He can play every position on the offensive line and play them all well.

I can only imagine how good he could actually be if he stuck to one spot, because playing all of them is already so good. I do not know where, but he will start games this year, and I believe he will be a Raider for a long time. He is one of those players who has a true gift for the game of football. With a first-round grade, he was a steal for the Raiders and will be a stalwart on the offensive line for a long time.

No. 4: G Caleb Rogers, 6’4” 312 lbs.

Perhaps no Raiders player suffered more in the collapse of the franchise last season than Rogers. I mentioned multiple times how much I liked the way he played. The team was desperate to win now, a foolish thought not based on reality, or he would have been playing early. He is a man who plays ferociously and fearlessly. He is detailed and direct, and under the tutelage of Rick Dennison, the sky is the limit for him.

He is absolutely in the mix for one of the two starting guard positions, and internally, they love him. If he is not a starter coming out of camp, I believe that he will be before the season is over. I am fortunate to watch him practice and develop every day, and I love to watch the young man’s hunger for direction. The sky is the limit with him.

No. 5: RT Delmar “DJ” Glaze, "The Mule," 6’4” 331 lbs.

2025 was a terrible season for “The Mule,” and none of it was because of him. The Raiders loved him in the 2024 NFL Draft, and his rookie season was fantastic in the context of a rookie campaign. Last season, despite paying for the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the game, their offense was chaotic, lacked cohesion and long-term vision, and at times looked like it was run by a child who played Madden more than an elite position coach.

It was bad at one point that an NFL Executive told me it was sad the way they were exposing Glaze, saying, “To ask him to do what he can’t, what isn’t even part of his skillset, is horrible. He doesn’t deserve that.”

In fairness, several players were in that boat, and this staff loves the young man's energy, commitment, and drive. He will pick up where he ended his rookie season, and all of Raider Nation can hope that last year was more like a wasted season of the TV Dallas, and that they all just woke up from a bad dream.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of talent on the line now, and he will be pushed, but if the season were to start today, and we know it is now, he would be your starting RT, and they would be very happy with that.

No. 6: OT Charles Grant, 6’4” 304 lbs.

The young man has all that only God can give, along with the work ethic, character, and commitment to develop the rest. The keyword is develop. Last year, multiple offensive visions and plans created a chaotic atmosphere. That isn’t the case anymore. Tom Brady, John Spytek, Klint Kubiak, and Rick Dennison are all on the same page, speaking the same language, and seamlessly forming a single narrative.

Grant will thrive in that environment. Many think he could develop into a key swing tackle, and many around the league feel like he could become a thriving starter. I lean towards the latter, but 2026 will tell us a lot about his upside under Dennison. I am a believer, and more importantly, so is the organization. There is a lot to like about this youngster.

No. 7: G Spencer Burford, 6’4” 300 lbs.

Burford isn’t going anywhere unless he is traded, so let’s make that clear from the start. If he were to get cut, the dead cap space hit the Silver and Black would take would be $2.75 million, so that isn’t happening, and to be frank, his skill set would never warrant that. The 49ers didn’t want to let him go; they simply, based on cap and depth issues, couldn’t afford to keep him, and the Raiders swooped in.

Burford is one of the starting guards today and is only 25 (26 before the season), so with a great season, he could easily fit into the Raiders' long-term vision. Ideally, he would play well alongside the youngsters, so they could either trade him to a team in contention that suffered an injury. 

With youngsters emerging, they could do to him in Las Vegas what happened in San Francisco, and the play of cheaper, younger guys makes him expendable. He has been great with his younger teammates, and moving him out of the starting lineup, while not impossible, will not be easy. He is a very good player and, as a trusted veteran, is another reason the Raiders feel better about the offensive line.

No. 8: IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson, 6’3” 325 lbs.

The first seven players on this list are all nearly guaranteed to be on the roster in 2026. There is no way today that is in play for JPJ. However, if the season were to start today, I think he would be a starter, but it doesn’t, and Caleb Rogers and Trey Zuhn III are both coming after his job. He is a fan favorite, but that has not always been the case with some in the building.

He is fortunate to have Rick Dennison, but this staff will not tolerate mental mistakes, poorly executed exuberance, or even badly executed exuberance. He is talented, and there is plenty of interest in him from the rest of the NFL. The best thing that could happen to him is that he comes into camp, doesn’t talk, keeps his ears open, and grinds. I like him, I believe in him, but he has to shine this year.

He needs to make it clear he is the best G on this team and separate himself from the rest. If he had been established, Burford would not be here. He isn’t. This is a big year; it is why the third year in the NFL is called the money year. I believe he will grow up this year and have a great camp. I am not rooting against him, and I don’t think anyone else is either, but 2026 is all on him. No excuses, he has to show the Raiders what he can do. I know, and they know he can; now he has to. Rogers, Zuhn, and Burford will. I find it very hard to see a scenario in which all four make the final roster. Not an impossibility, but hard.

No. 9: IOL Jordan Meredith, 6’2” 301 lbs.

Not sure that there is a more liked player on the team. He is not quiet, but Meredith has zero ego. He is the one guy everyone can count on and believe in, and the ultimate teammate. He is incredibly athletic and versatile. Linderbaum is the center; that isn’t even up for debate, but Meredith is a true athletic IOL who can play all five slots.

He is a locker-room glue guy, and while teammates will chime in that he is “goofy,” it is always in a fun-loving way, and they appreciate his demeanor. Meredith is a guy who makes the NFL and stays, not just because he is talented, but because of all that he offers off the field as well.

He treats everyone right, works hard, but doesn’t have to project a persona, is genuine, and loves the game. I once described Meredith after a bad game as a guy who appreciates every day, good or bad, that he gets to play the game he loves. I am not sure there is a better player to represent Raider Nation than Meredith for one reason: he loves being a Raider, and every day he gives his best to demonstrate that appreciation rather than talk about it.

No. 10: C Will Putnam, 6’4” 301 lbs.

I remember the joy from the Raiders' building the day they signed Putnam as a UDFA. I reported that day; I expected him to stick around. They had a very good draft grade on him, and they liked and like him a lot. The emergence of Meredith and the terrible organization in 2025 hurt him. But Linderbaum's signing sent the message. The center position has a throne, and Linderbaum is the king, the NFL's best. That means Putnam makes the roster by showing immense position versatility.

Zuhn is going nowhere, and he can already play and be that backup, as can Meredith. Putnam is not a true IOL; he is a center. That works for Linderbaum; it is good to be king; it works against Putnam. A great kid, but he has to be more consistent in his processing and execution in pass-blocking and space-blocking. If he can’t quickly show the ability to play both G and C, he has little to no chance of making the roster unless something bad and drastic happens above him.

Things That Make You Say 'HMMM….'

I believe the Raiders' hiring of Rick Dennison was an unbelievable blessing. To be a franchise rebuilding, that starts on the OL, and he is the best there is. This group of men, at least those who were here last season, was embarrassed. Most, but not all, of that is on the organization.

Some of them did it to themselves. The new leadership's no-nonsense approach will demand their best. While stress is bad, pressure is not; they will learn to keep it about football and approach this in a business-like fashion.

Others on the Roster

Here are some other players on the roster who could move up in camp but are more likely to be battling for a practice squad role, as they are developmental.

Previous Position Reviews

Raiders Wide Receivers: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

Raiders Quarterbacks: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

Raiders Tight Ends: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

Raiders Running Backs: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

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