Andre James Has Become Center of Attention for Las Vegas Raiders
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When free agent tackle Andre James was signed three years ago, nobody could have imagined that he now would be beginning his second season starting for the Las Vegas Raiders at center, a position that has a great legacy in franchise history.
Not only that, the 6-4, 300-pound James helped anchor the Silver and Black’s offensive line along with tackle Kolton Miller as it got better throughout last season before they won their final four regular season games to finish 10-7 and make the playoffs, where they lost, 26-19, to the Cincinnati Bengals in an AFC wild-card game.
More of the same is expected from James this season, as the Raiders have continued to reshuffle the offensive line in front of quarterback Derek Carr ahead of the first game of the 2022 regular season on Sept. 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., under new Coach Josh McDaniels.
“I feel really good,” said James, who had his contract restructured by the Raiders in March to upgrade how much he means to the team. “Second year, I feel like this is going to be a big year for me, as is for a lot of guys now being able to get back into it, and kind of know what it’s like now to have some games under our belt. So, super excited to grow on the past and just keep moving forward.
“Toward the end of (last) year, we got super comfortable with each other and started to really mesh toward one another. And that’s what you want as an offensive line. But to do that, it takes a lot of a lot of time and a lot of reps, and a lot of games being put under your belt. So, now we just want to build on what we have and what we’ve done in the past, understanding how we want to fit into combinations and just keep building on top of what we’ve done.
“I feel like a lot of guys here, including myself, do a good job blocking out the noise. We’re super excited about the guys who have been added to this team. We’ve got a lot of new faces, a lot of good players and we’re just a super excited to start the season.”
James has taken over a position that in Raiders history included Hall of Famer Jim Otto and several other outstanding centers, including Dave Dalby, Don Mosebar, Barret Robbins, and Rodney Hudson, who James replaced.
Carr feels comfortable with James in front of him.
“(James) started the Detroit game for us (in 2019) when Hudson was injured and did a great job, showed flashes of someone with a great understanding and toughness, and all the traits you need at that spot,” Carr told reporters. “It was hard (for James) to play behind Rodney, who everyone said was probably the best center in the league. But once Rodney was gone, Andre stepped right in.
“I feel super confident that he’s going to do a great job. There’s a lot of work going into it, with me, with Andre, and the communication along the line and with the running backs. With how we run things, it takes everybody to be on the same page. So, it’s not just one group. I mean, it’s all of us making sure that we’re all on the same page so that we can execute at a high level.
“Last year, we just kept getting better each game.”
James was signed as an undrafted free agent tackle out of UCLA in 2019 and showed so much promise that the Raiders traded away Pro Bowler Hudson before last season to open the center spot, and he did not disappoint.
Although James didn’t win any awards, after a slow start he was ranked 14th in the NFL among 27 centers as a pass blocker by Pro Football Focus, allowing only two sacks for the season as he and Miller were the only Raiders on the offensive line to play every offensive snap in all 17 games.
“First and foremost, Andre is a great dude,” former Raiders Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito, who missed last season and retired recently because of an injury, said on Raiders.com. “He’s a great guy, he’s a hard worker, he’s humble, he’s hungry. He’s got position flexibility. He played tackle in college and then got to the league and played center.
“I go back to 2019 when Rod went down, and Andre had to come in the game in Houston, and we didn’t miss a beat. We were hammering them with the ball, we were running on them, we were making a comeback late, and Andre stepped in the next week (against) Detroit and again he played at a high level.
“He’s a hard-working kid. He’s passionate. He’s from humble beginnings, being an undrafted guy, so I’m excited to see (how good he can be).”
James obviously has a way to go to be mentioned with Otto, Dalby, Mosebar and the other great Raiders centers, but the Silver and Black hope he can put his name on that list one day.
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