The Las Vegas Raiders made headlines this offseason with their decision to make some major changes to the offensive line.
The Raiders caught plenty of flak for parting ways with key members up front like Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson, and Trent Brown. Although they managed to alleviate these losses by bringing back Richie Incognito and Denzelle Good, head coach Jon Gruden is relying on two unproven options to fill the voids at center and right tackle.
Gruden has not been shy about expressing his confidence in Andre James and Alex Leatherwood going into the 2021 NFL season. They will now be getting their first taste of real action when Las Vegas hosts the Seattle Seahawks.
Gruden made it clear that the Raiders will do what they can to get a solid look at both James and Leatherwood in the preseason.
“Well, we’ve had a lot of reps,” Gruden said. “Reps are not the problem. We are going to play the [Los Angeles] Rams and get a lot of reps down there also. We want to see our right tackle play a little bit. We want to see our new center play a little bit. We’ve got some young players that are competing for jobs that need to play a lot, so we are going to look at them. A couple of veteran guys won’t play, but you’ll see our first-round draft choice and you’ll see our young center.”
While most teams have been hesitant to have their key starters play in the preseason, Gruden is hoping to utilize it to help his new offensive line find their footing. This means fans will likely have an opportunity to get an ample look at the new replacements.
The Raiders once again were criticized for reaching on a player in the first round with Leatherwood. The rookie has heard all the doubt regarding his ability to make an immediate impact and is looking to prove them wrong.
James has a bit more time in the system than Leatherwood does and Gruden is optimistic this will pay some dividends for his new role. He is not the only one with teammates like Derek Carr and Richie Incognito, also high on his going into the preseason.
Teams will only have three games to use as a sample size to build their roster and get new players up to speed. It is safe to say that all eyes will be on whether James or Leatherwood look the part of newfound starters.
