It’s not very often that an NFL team can bring back all five starting offensive linemen from the previous season. It’s just too hard to keep a group together like that, especially in the free agency era.
However, that’s what the Raiders have done this offseason as they’ve retained all five starters and kept all of their key backups (Brandon Parker, Thayer Munford, etc). And the Raiders are really excited about the continuity going into the season.
Kolton Miller is especially excited about the cohesion on the offensive line, especially considering the surprising play from the group last year. Here is what he had to say about all five starters being back in 2023 via Tashan Reed of The Athletic:
“By keeping the group together, I know from the experience of last year along with the growth guys have had, added strength, coming out here and seeing the focus, the attention to detail — it’s very promising, We want to continue to work and get better.”
It is important to note that just because the Raiders brought back all five starters, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be competition for jobs. Parker is expected to push Jermaine Eluemunor for the right tackle job. And if Parker wins that job, Eluemunor could slide over to right guard and replace Alex Bars.
But the good news is that the Raiders finally have some depth and healthy competition on the offensive line. And it’s only fair to expect the unit to perform even better going into this season.
