The offensive line for the Las Vegas Raiders has been a work in progress for the entire 2020 NFL season thanks to injuries and setbacks from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Regardless, the Raiders find themselves in an ideal position at 5-3 to make a push heading into the season half of the year. A large part of their success can be attributed to the consistent play of right guard Gabe Jackson.
Jackson has served as a stabilizing factor for this makeshift offensive line throughout the 2020 campaign. His teammates and coaches are now hoping he receives his due when the time comes to name Pro Bowlers.
Head coach Jon Gruden even went so far as to suggest he was the best guard in the entire league, per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez:
#Raiders coach Jon Gruden, on Gabe Jackson: If he's not the best right guard in football, show me who is…I wouldn't trade Gabe for nothing.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) November 11, 2020
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who knows better than anyone how well Jackson has been playing, is optimistic that Jackson will be named to his first career Pro Bowl.
#Raiders QB Derek Carr thinks and hopes RG Gabe Jackson should make the Pro Bowl this year…
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) November 11, 2020
Gruden’s comments may be considered a bit far-fetched considering how Jackson’s body of work stacks up to some of the other elite interior players in the NFL. Regardless, there is no question that the circumstances in which he has performed have made him more than deserving.
Raiders right tackle Trent Brown has spent the year battling through a calf injury before landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list for the second time. The Raiders have since been forced to rotate between tackle Sam Young, guard Denzelle Good and tackle Brandon Parker.
Of course, it helps that Jackson has formed quite a due with three-time Pro Bowler Rodney Hudson on the inside. Meanwhile, Carr has undoubtedly been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the dominant play from both Jackson and Hudson.
Given the job they have done so far this year, fans have good reason to be optimistic about both pieces of this tandem getting their due at the end of the year.
