This Offseason Allows the Raiders to Fix 1 Giant Mistake

If there was one thing the Las Vegas Raiders learned the hard way this season, it is to never underestimate the importance of a good offensive line.

Sure, everyone knows football games are won and lost in the trenches, but Las Vegas undoubtedly overestimated its group of linemen last offseason.

The Raiders' Most Glaring Issue

Offensive line was undoubtedly the Raiders' most pressing issue this season. In addition to the many other additions the Raiders are expected to make, Ted Nguyen of The Athletic believes Las Vegas signing of Alex Cappa last offseason would be smart to move on from, naming Cappa a cut candidate.

It must be noted that the Raiders' struggles along the offensive line were not mainly or solely because of Cappa. The unit as a whole struggled. The issue was not Cappa himself, but Las Vegas' failure to add to the offensive line last season beyond Cappa. Cutting him would help them in several ways.

"One of the many Raiders mistakes of last offseason was rushing to pay Cappa $5 million. He was coming off a season in which he played like one of the worst starting guards in the league, didn’t look much better last season, and couldn’t help a Raiders line that struggled," Nguyen said.

"He’s scheduled to make $6 million next year, but the Raiders can save $5 million ($1 million in dead cap) by cutting him and adding to their wealth of cap space. This should be one of the easiest decisions of this offseason."

Las Vegas had arguably the worst offensive line in the National Football League this season. The unit was a major reason quarterback Geno Smith led the league in interceptions. Las Vegas' line allowed more sacks than any other team. For much of the season, they led the category by a lot.

Las Vegas is widely expected to draft quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick. However, he will be ineffective if they do not thoroughly revamp their offensive line. Earlier in the offseason, General Manager John Spytek gave insight into how he plans to address the line.

"We're going to attack this entire offseason with an extremely open mind. And anybody that can help bolster that offensive line and do the job required will be considered,” Spytek said.

“We have a lot of cap space; we've got some elite draft picks and maybe adding a veteran presence in there or two would be helpful but not necessarily an absolute necessity. We're not going to begin with the end in mind."

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