Raiders Rookie Right Tackle DJ Glaze is if Needed

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Sep 25, 2024 2:00 PM ET

After the Las Vegas Raiders embarrassing and disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the team could be in for a major shakeup.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has already said they would be making decisions that benefit the team. Whatever helps the Raiders win.

It is going to be interesting how Pierce handles this week in preparation for the Cleveland Browns, who are also coming off a loss. It is only Week 4, but for both teams, it is a must-win game.

The Raiders are also dealing with a lot of injuries on both sides of the ball. The major injuries that hurt the most for this Raider team were those of starting safety Marcus Epps and starting defensive end Malcolm Koonce, who are both out for the season. Another major thing to watch is star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who is dealing with a high ankle sprain.

For the Raiders, there is only one way to go from here with all the injuries. It will be a next-man-up mentality.

We saw that in Sunday's loss to the Panthers. The Raiders' 2024 third-round pick out of Maryland, DJ Glaze, saw his first major NFL action. Glaze came in early after starting right tackle Thayer Munford Jr. was injured and had to leave the contest.

Unfortunately for Glaze, it happened to be one of the most embarrassing losses he will ever be a part of.

"That is on us. We got to execute how we should have," Glaze said after the loss. "It is very difficult to come out and have a performance like this. It is always good when you can get in and go against an experienced guy like Jadeveon Clowney. But like I said, none of that really matters because of the outcome. It is good to get in there and get the experience. And hopefully, continue to grow. You just never know what can happen in the NFL. It is a long season, and guys go down all the time, so you just have to be ready whenever you are called. You never know, like a situation like that, when it is going to happen, and it did happen. I just wanted to be ready to step up. ... I felt like we had a great week of practice. Guys are jelling, getting timing and all that down. We felt like we were ready to go. Like I said, when we got here today, we did not execute how we should have. We know that. We have to go and fix it."

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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