The Raiders are entering a new era with new head coach Klint Kubiak along with #1 overall pick QB Fernando Mendoza. Although Mendoza is not in line to start right away, he will likely eventually take the starting job from veteran Kirk Cousins at some point this season. The team is trying to establish an offensive identity with the hire of the offensive minded Kubiak, the onboarding of #1 overall pick QB Fernando Mendoza, along with the onboarding of several marquee names on the offensive side of the ball in recent memory. Heading into next season the defense of the Raiders might be the worst in the NFL so the offense of the team will need to be explosive in order for the Raiders to be a potential playoff team. The pairing of the reigning Super Bowl winning offensive coordinator Kubiak at head coach with the reigning National Champion Heisman Trophy winning #1 overall pick QB Mendoza could be a lethal duo even in year one. However, the offensive personnel that the Raiders have surrounding those two will also loom quite large. Here I will go into detail assessing the Raiders’ offensive line as the 2026 season approaches.
Set to start at left tackle for the Raiders is former first rounder Kolton Miller, Miller is one of the better overall left tackles in the sport today and provides the Raiders with stability on the offensive front. Miller is not a household name having played for the abysmal Raiders throughout his career having never even garnered one Pro Bowl appearance although being very deserving of at least one thus far. Miller missed most of last season due to injury playing in about a quarter of possible snaps. However, in that limited time, he ranked first among all tackles in terms of pass blocking efficiency and was graded as the sixth best overall tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Miller, taking starter snaps and staying mostly healthy, has graded as a top ten overall tackle in the NFL and as a top five overall tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Outside of those elite occasions, Miller has consistently graded in the well above average to borderline elite range among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus.
Currently listed as the starter at left guard is Spencer Burford who is one of the current weak links on the Vegas starting offensive line. Burford in all four seasons he has played in the NFL has graded in the below average to well below average range among players at his position. Burford is better suited as a backup and I think will likely transition to a reserve role at some point during this upcoming season, as the likes of Jordan Meredith is one of the premier reserve interior offensive lineman in the sport as of now, and will likely eventually transition to being a starter. However, Burford does have some upside in that he was not a late round pick or an undrafted free agent being taken in the fourth round during the 2022 draft. In his time thus far in the NFL Burford has shown a lot of promise as a run blocker, while he still has not had enough of a chance to come into his own as of yet as an overall player. Burford could mold into a solid starter but is likely better suited as a reserve.
Set to start at the center spot for the Raiders is the newly acquired Tyler Linderbaum who came over from the Ravens this offseason. Linderbaum, the three-time Pro-Bowler and former first rounder, is one of the premier centers in the sport today, having earned Pro-Bowl honors in every season outside of his rookie year thus far. Linderbaum, being drafted before the 2022 season, has graded as a top six overall center in the NFL in every season he has played thus far according to Pro Football Focus. Linderbaum is arguably the premier run blocking center in the NFL and has a very high ceiling in terms of pass protection but struggles to remain consistent in that regard.
Starting at the right guard spot is 2024 2nd rounder Jackson Powers-Johnson who has been a solid player thus far in the NFL who now could have the chance to breakout and enter his prime starting next year. Powers-Johnson as a rookie played very well in 2024 and was in line to become a potential star heading into the following season. He however failed to show much improvement likely in large part because he struggled with his health in year 2 in the NFL. Powers-Johnson will now be in line to break out and live up to his star potential heading into year 3 in the NFL.
2024 3rd rounder D.J Glaze is set to start at right tackle as of now but remains a weak link on the Raiders’ starting offensive front. Glaze was drafted pretty highly and had a decent rookie season that he was in line to build off of going into 2025. However, Glaze regressed in year 2 in disappointing fashion, but the Vegas coaching staff seems to still be high on him to list him as the starter despite the presence of 2025 3rd round rookie Charles Grant who performed very strongly in year 1 at tackle. Glaze will be on the hot seat to live up to his relatively high draft pick potential and build off of his rookie year heading into next season. Otherwise, Glaze could very well transition to a reserve role going forward.
From a depth standpoint on the offensive front the Raiders have some notable names that could provide the team with some strong depth and/or could transition to a starting role at some point during this upcoming season. 2025 3rd rounder Charles Grant played well in about 1 games worth of rookie snaps during this past season. Grant was drafted pretty highly and could now build off of his solid rookie season and maybe find himself starting on the Raiders’ offensive front next season. Interior offensive lineman Jordan Meredith, a 2021 undrafted free agent, has shown a ton of potential thus far in the NFL. Meredith in very limited snaps played at a slightly above average rate in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. Then in year 3 in 2024 playing at guard he graded as one of the best overall guards in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus playing in almost 600 snaps, which included ranking 2nd among all qualified guards in terms of pass blocking efficiency. Meredith then transitioned to playing center the following season in 2025 and regressed badly now ranking near the bottom of the pack, however. In the one and only season he played extended snaps at guard; he was among the premier guards in the sport and could transition to a starting role next season at guard in place of Burford who has a lower ceiling at this point. 2025 3rd rounder Caleb Rogers is also a notable name currently listed as a reserve on the Raiders’ offensive front. Rogers had a decent rookie season and was drafted pretty highly and could provide the Raiders with some more offensive line depth and/or transition to a starting role at some point next season. While the Raiders also drafted guard Trey Zuhn III in the third round of the 2026 draft as well, who was voted as the premier offensive lineman in the SEC last year.
Overall, the Raiders have one of the most talented offensive lines in the NFL heading into next season and if the young/inconsistent players can come into their own, it could be one of the premier offensive lines in the NFL. A breakdown of the Raiders’ offensive line heading into the 2026 season can be found below.
2026 Projected Starting Raiders’ Offensive Line
LT – Kolton Miller – B+ to A-
LG – Spencer Burford – C to C+, potentially still improving, could transition to reserve role
C – Tyler Linderbaum – A-
RG – Jackson Powers-Johnson – B-, 2024 2nd rounder, still improving
RT – DJ Glaze – C, 2024 3rd rounder, potentially still improving
Notable 2026 Raiders’ Reserve Offensive Linemen
T – Charles Grant – 2025 3rd rounder, B- in very limited rookie snaps
G/C – Jordan Meredith – A in only extended season at guard, C in only extended season at center
G – Caleb Rogers – 2025 3rd rounder, C as rookie
G – Trey Zuhn III – 2026 3rd rounder
