Why Raiders' Offensive Line Ready To Change Narrative

There is no way around it, the Las Vegas Raiders had arguably the worst offensive line and offensive line coach in the National Football League last season. Their issues within the unit were extensive, as both coaching and talent were lacking. Both have been revamped this offseason.

Raiders' Line Woes

The Raiders' offensive line allowed the most sacks in the National Football League last season. They were largely responsible for Geno Smith leading the league in interceptions and the Raiders finishing last in rushing yards last season, despite using the No. 6 pick in last year's draft on a running back.

Las Vegas' talent and depth issues along the unit were only exacerbated by poor positional coaching, which was later reported to be much worse than initially believed. Understanding how bad the offensive line was in 2025 is critical to understand the moves the Raiders have made this offseason.

Raiders' Set To Bounce Back on OL

Dec 17, 2017; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison on the field before a game against the Miami Dolphins at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images | Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Raiders hired Rick Dennison as their offensive line coach this offseason. The experienced coach was someone Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak was determined to have on his coaching staff. The addition of Dennison was quietly a major part of Las Vegas' coaching staff overhaul.

However, coaches do not play on Sundays. Players do. Las Vegas needed to upgrade its starting talent and its depth along the offensive line. The Raiders have routinely lost the battle along the line of scrimmage, which has directly correlated to their 27 losses in the last two seasons.

Their upgrade was multifaceted. They drafted Trey Zuhn and signed veteran offensive lineman Spencer Burford to add depth. Jackson Powers-Johnson and Kolton Miller have returned from injury, both of whom are vital pieces. Upon his return, Miller noted his expectations for the unit.

“I have high expectations for everyone. The standard is higher. Guys are learning, guys are coming in, but the competition right now is first getting in the playbook and mastering that and getting to work. And then next is training camp. It's great that we're back together and take another step. So, I'm looking forward to the process,” Miller said.

Most notably, the Raiders also signed veteran center Tyer Linderbaum to stabilize the unit for years to come. Aside from quarterback, there are few, if any, other positions on the field more critical to a team's success than center. This factored into Linderbaum's record-breaking contract.

Linderbaum knows how much he means to the offense as a whole. As the Raiders look to move past a 2025 season marked by poor play along the offensive line, Linderbaum aims to help establish a more dominant mindset and more consistent production from Las Vegas' line.

“At the end of the day, it's my job to get everyone to be on the same page, to play at a standard that we set and that we want to play at. And us collectively as a unit, we decide how we want to play,” Linderbaum said.

“It starts in practice, it starts in the meeting rooms on what we want it to look like. And if we're falling short of that, that's on us. So, the more we can practice how we want to practice, play how we want to play, the better off we're going to be as a unit, and the better this offensive unit is going to be."

Second-year running back Ashton Jeanty may be the biggest beneficiary of Las Vegas' recommitment to the offensive line.

“I mean obviously those big guys up front, they do a lot of hard work, so having another great guy in the building is tremendous for us, and I'm just super excited to continue to work with them and make this rushing attack great,” Jeanty said.

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