Taking a Closer Look at the Raiders' RT Competition

The Las Vegas Raiders are holding positional battles all over the field, looking for the best players to fill those open spots.

No position battle has been more tightly contested this offseason than the right tackle competition, however, with several viable candidates aiming to be the starter.

Coach Josh McDaniels has always had impressive offensive line units, so he is taking his time to decide who the best man for the job is to man the right side of the offensive line.

Unfortunately for one candidate, Brandon Parker was placed on injured reserve this week, ending his season for the second year in a row. Another devastating injury for a player who had worked incredibly hard to get back on the field.

Let’s take a closer look at the players vying for the right tackle job and see how likely their chances are of winning it.

Jermaine Eluemunor started every game last season for the Raiders, playing over 800 snaps at right tackle and playing well. Eluemunor was running with the first string in the Raiders’ preseason victory over the San Francisco 49ers, but McDaniels rotated in several offensive linemen throughout the game, so that may not be of any significance.

Eluemunor came into the offseason looking to retain his starting job, but there have been a few players hot on his trail. One of those players is 2022 NFL Draft seventh-round selection Thayer Munford Jr. Munford played sparingly in his rookie season but is expected to see a bigger role on the team in 2023.

Munford, who stands 6-6 and weighs 320 pounds, also has been competing this offseason like the starting right tackle. He got a lot of run in the Raiders’ preseason game, a sign that the competition is going to be tight and the team wants to evaluate all options.

With the injury to Parker, the door is open for a player like undrafted free agent Dalton Wagner to earn snaps. Wagner was impressive in his snaps in the Raiders’ first preseason game.

The right tackle competition could come down to the end of the preseason, or even push into the regular season. It is still wide open, and it will be intriguing to see who separates themselves over the next couple of weeks.

The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT.

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