If the Raiders are going to become a playoff contender during the 2023 season, they are going to need several players to make drastic improvements. They’ll need a handful of players to go from borderline starters to impact players and high-end starters. Luckily, there are a few players who seem destined for a breakout season this year.
In a recent article by The Ringer, they named every team’s biggest X factor heading into the 2023 season. For the Raiders, that was none other than Dylan Parham, who is now fully entrenched as a starter at left guard. Here is a snippet of what the site had to say about the second-year player from Memphis:
Buy Raiders TicketsHe was the Raiders’ highest draft pick last year—taken in the third round—and was a full-time starter who played right guard and center before landing at left guard. Having a versatile interior offensive lineman is nice, but having a plus starter at one spot is better, and with another year of NFL coaching and a stable position, Parham might become that.
Parham was a productive player for the Raiders last year, but he had trouble keeping on weight and that limited his power. But going into Year 2, he is clearly a stronger player and that should help him anchor better in the passing game.
With Kolton Miller already being established as one of the best left tackles in the league, a breakout season from Parham would give the Raiders one of the best left-side duos in the league. That would allow Josh McDaniels to get really creative on offense as they could take more shots down the field.
Parham is one of the most important players on the Raiders going into the 2023 season. If he can have a breakout year, the Raiders are going to be just fine on that side of the ball.
