Raiders Today

The Saving Grace in the Raiders' Offensive Line

The Las Vegas Raiders may have lost to the Denver Broncos, but one of their players showed flashes of a bright future.
Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll before the game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll before the game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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The Las Vegas Raiders now have the second-best odds to land the number one overall pick after their latest Week 14 loss, according to Tankathon. This means that the Raiders have a clear incentive to lose every game for the rest of the season, to sweeten their chances at landing a generational prospect.

A lot of things were shown by the Raiders in their loss to the Denver Broncos. They showed that a quarterback change was needed all along, as their offense flowed much smoothly under Kenny Pickett than it did with Geno Smith. Surprisingly enough, one of the other things they showcased was genuine growth along the offensive line.

Week 14 Rookie Team

Kenny Pickett
Nov 30, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) practices before the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Jim Wyman writes for Pro Football Focus, and he wrote an article creating a team of all the rookie standouts in Week 14 of the NFL. For his interior offensive line, he selected Caleb Rogers based on his impressive play two weeks in a row.

"After making his season debut last week against the Chargers, Rogers saw a significant uptick in playing time, appearing on 51 snaps after having logged 17 all season prior to Week 14. Rogers was particularly good in pass protection, only losing two reps on 41 pass-blocking snaps with neither resulting in pressure", said Wyman.

In the clip above, one can see how excellent Rogers is at his footwork and holding his ground. He was able to move off the first defender and pushes him towards the center, and immediately begins blocking the next defensive lineman in front of him.

John Spytek traded two picks in the 2025 NFL draft for Rogers, and it's beginning to show why he felt the need to give up so much for a third-round guard. The Raiders' offensive line has been a big problem for them this season, so it's a miracle that it's taken so long for him to start a game.

Caleb Rogers
Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders guard Caleb Rogers (76) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

He's played so well in the limited snaps he's been given this season, and the fact that this type of offensive line play was just rotting on the bench goes to show the incompetence the Raiders are dealing with.

Pete Carroll doesn't know how to run an NFL team anymore, preferring his veterans that lessen their chances of winning, over the younger players. His lapses of judgment have held the Raiders back from their full potential, but it's also robbed their younger players of valuable reps they'll never be able to have back.

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Published
Fernando Alfaro-Donis
FERNANDO ALFARO-DONIS

Fernando Alfaro-Donis found his passion for sports playing high school football, which led him to pursue journalism as an English major at UCLA. He also covers the UCLA Bruins and the Los Angeles Rams as an On SI team reporter.