The Raiders have accomplished a ton in free agency so far. They’ve rebuilt their wide receiver corps. They’ve added depth to the linebacker unit and they signed one of the best pass rushers in the league in Chandler Jones.
But what do the Raiders still need to do before the 2022 season arrives?
In a recent article by ESPN, they listed every team’s most pressing need going into the third week of free agency. For the Raiders, that was none other than their offensive line. Here is what Paul Gutierrez of ESPN had to say about their pressing offensive line need:
“Yeah, it’s great and all that Las Vegas added the best receiver in the NFL (and Derek Carr’s college bestie) in Davante Adams. But if Carr has no time to find him downfield, what’s the point? Carr was sacked 40 times in 2021 and, as it stands now, it looks like the Raiders’ new regime is prepared to run it back with the same offensive line. Granted, Denzelle Good is coming back from a knee injury, but the Raiders aren’t done here, are they?”
The Raiders could wait until pick No. 86 pick to address their right tackle need, but the odds of a starting-caliber player lasting that long feels low. They could look to free agency and sign someone like Daryl Williams or Riley Reiff.
Admittedly, the options aren’t great for the Raiders at right tackle. But they might be able to find a suitable guard, which could allow Denzelle Good to slide back to right tackle. That might be the better option. But one thing is sure, the Raiders have to improve the unit if they want to compete in the AFC in 2022.