Oakland Raiders: 5 offseason needs in 2019

4. Continue to develop the offensive line

It really wasn’t all that long ago that one of the better debates around NFL circles was what team owned the better offensive line. Was it the start-studded blocking unit of the Dallas Cowboys? Or did the Oakland Raider own the top wall in the league?

It doesn’t seem to be worth the discussion these days. Although the Silver and Black still has a lot of the same names along the offensive front, this unit hasn’t performed nearly as well as was the case in 2016. That year, the Raiders finished sixth in the league in both total yards and rushing yards per contest and allowed just 18 sacks in 16 regular-season outings.

One year later, the club gave up a respectable 24 QB traps. But Oakland slipped to 25th in the NFL in rushing offense. Such was the case this past season when it came to the ground attack. But the team would allow a whopping 52 sacks. Much of that came at the expense of 2018 first-round pick Kolton Miller, who took his lumps literally and figuratively. Via Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the 15th overall pick from UCLA in last April’s draft played through injuries and wound up surrendering 16 sacks.

Along with Miller, the Raiders also selected tackle Brandon Parker with a third-round pick. He was a 12-game starter this past season and the heir apparent to Donald Penn, who was limited to four games this past year. Youth is being served on the offensive front and there could be new additions ahead, especially when it comes to adding depth.

Next: No. 3