Fluker Move Heightens Need for Offensive Line Help

Las Vegas Raiders general Manager Tom Telesco continues to make moves. He released another former first-round draft pick of his, this time it was D.J. Fluker.

The Las Vegas Raiders continue to shuffle their offensive line.

On Friday, the club announced it had released guard D.J. Fluker. Las Vegas was already looking at adding new faces along the offensive line, and after its release of Fluker, it will add even more.

After letting offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor walk and re-signing center Andre James in free agency, the Raiders' offensive line was arguably the area of their roster that needed the most work. Their line will need even more work now.

Fluker, a former first-round draft pick, was listed as the team's starter on their depth chart following their offensive line moves this offseason. That will no longer be the case and the Raiders will have to go back to the drawing board for their offensive line -- or maybe not.

Perhaps this was their plan all along. Fluker was Raiders general manager Tom Telesco's first-ever first-round draft pick with the then San Diego Chargers in 2013, so Telesco was very familiar with Fluker's strengths and weaknesses.

Fluker joined the Raiders last season while Telesco was still with the Chargers. However, the veteran guard didn't play in any games for the Raiders. The Raiders had no choice but to potentially lean on Fluker as their starting guard heading into next season.

That was a chance Telesco and the Raiders did not want to take, as Fluker has not played in an NFL game since 2020.

Fluker was the 11th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Telesco cut Fluker in 2017 instead of letting him finish his rookie contract with the Chargers, which spoke volumes about how Telesco felt about the then young offensive lineman.

At the very least, Telesco has stayed consistent. He also cut defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, another former first round draft pick of his while he was with the Chargers. Telesco deciding to move on from Fluker even though the Raiders' offensive line is currently thin on talent says Telesco still didn't believe in Fluker's ability to be a productive part of the team.

Considering Fluker never played a game for the team, the Raiders could use the extra roster spot at the very least.

With the offensive line being a legitimate need for the team, Fluker's release will make it even harder to pinpoint the Raiders' draft plans.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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