Raiders Offensive Line Problems Highlight Offseason Failures

The Raiders had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL last season. It was a clear area of need in the offseason, but the Raiders didn’t do enough to fix the problem. 

In the 45-17 loss to the Patriots, Kirk Cousins was pressured 15 times and dropped for a sack three times. The previous week, the Chiefs pressured Cousins 21 times. Those are the two highest marks of the season. 

But the pass blocking has been the strength of the offensive line. The run blocking has been the bigger issue. The Raiders are dead last in the NFL in yards per carry this season, as Ashton Jeanty has struggled yet again. 

The offensive line isn’t the sole reason the run game is struggling. Jeanty isn’t healthy and has yet to prove he is a good NFL running back. But the line is still part of the problem. 

“Yeah, we have to, we have to look at everything,” head coach Klint Kubiak said when asked about the offensive line. “We have to improve there, and something I’ve been saying for multiple weeks now. That’s not getting done. So as a coaching staff, this falls on me, falls on me to get it fixed.”

If the Raiders are going to make changes on the offensive line, the obvious place to look is guard. Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers battled for the starting right guard spot in training camp. Powers-Johnson won the job, but has not been very good. Rogers got a chance to start in Week 4, when Powers-Johnson was out with an injury, and he failed to impress. 

But right guard isn’t the Raiders’ only issue. Left guard has been arguably worse. Spencer Burford was brought in as a free agent and handed the starting position. So far he has allowed a team-high 18 pressures. 

The Raiders never gave Burford any sort of challenge for the starting spot in the offseason. While Powers-Johnson and Rogers fought for the right guard position, Burford coasted to his starting role. Burford was the 49th-best guard (out of 81 qualified) in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus. But Las Vegas thought he was good enough to start without a challenge. 

If the Raiders are going to make a change along the offensive line, the most obvious choice would be to move Powers-Johnson or Rogers over to left guard and bench Burford. But none of those three have been very good this season, meaning that is unlikely to solve any problems.

Outside of those three, Bryce Cabeldue is on the roster as a backup offensive lineman. But he only played 24 offensive snaps last season as a rookie and has yet to see an offensive snap with the Raiders this season. 

Trey Zuhn was drafted in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and was used as a guard, center and tackle in training camp. But he missed Week 5 with a knee injury. 

Ultimately, there are no good options for the Raiders to fix their offensive line. That is a sign of a poor roster. Las Vegas gave center Tyler Linderbaum a record-setting deal in the offseason to fix one position. But otherwise they mostly ignored the offensive line. 

Zuhn was drafted in round three, but was never viewed as a starting option, as he trained to be a versatile depth piece in case of injuries. 

The Raiders are in a rebuild, even if they started 3-2. Fixing the entire roster in one offseason is nearly impossible. But general manager John Spytek’s choices leave his head coach with bad options to fix real problems.