With free agency just a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ offensive tackle position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starters: Kolton Miller, Trent Brown
Backups: David Sharpe, Brandon Parker, Kyle Kalis
Free agents: None
Kolton Miller took a big step forward in his second season, anchoring the left side of the line. It certainly helped that he wasn’t nursing an injured knee all season, but he also showed improvement in his all-around game.
Brown was major free-agent signing last offseason, shoring up that right side of the line, which had been a weak spot for the Raiders for several years. Namely last season, when third-round rookie Brandon Parker started the final 12 games to dreadful results.
When Brown got banged up late in the season, the Raiders brought Parker back in. He didn’t show he had progressed at all from his rookie season. They kept giving him a shot because they had traded up for the small school physical specimen. Eventually, though, they would give up and try David Sharpe.
Sharpe was an improvement over Parker, but it was still a big drop off from Brown.
Condition: Stable
Miller and Brown are a solid starting duo. They can and should hold down the tackle sports for the next few years. Really the only thing keeping this from being Strong is the lack of a quality backup. They may want to root around free agency to pick up a cheap, under-the-radar guy or get one in the mid-low part of the draft if a guy they like is there.
