The biggest weakness for the Oakland Raiders moving forward is on the offensive line. The loss of potential Pro Bowler Jared Veldheer was devastating to the Raiders as there was no viable backup at the position.
Shortly after Veldheer went down, rookie Menelik Watson also suffered an injury that kept him out of the starting lineup at left tackle. Watson played well in place of Veldheer, but missed Week 1 with a knee injury and will likely miss Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars as well.
In order to bring in more security on the offensive line, the Raiders have signed Jack Cornell to the practice squad according to Jerry McDonald of the Contra Costa Times:
With a practice squad opening after promoting Matt McCants to the 53-man roster, the Raiders signed another offensive tackle in Jack Cornell, who played on the Baltimore Ravens practice squad last season.
Last week, the Raiders made a similar move by signing Matt McCants off the practice squad in order to replace Watson for the time being.
As long as Veldheer remains on the sidelines nursing a torn triceps injury, the Raiders will struggle up front week in and week out. Fortunately, the emergence of quarterback Terrelle Pryor and his ability to scramble has helped lessen the blow on the offense line, but it may only be a matter of time before Pryor suffers an injury due to the lack of protection.