Offensive line is bigger, but will it be truly better?
New tackle Trent Brown, listed at 6-foot-8 and 380 pounds, isn’t the only thing bigger about the Raiders’ offensive line this spring.
Kolton Miller, who was listed at 309 pounds as a rookie last season, said he’s now carrying 328 pounds on his 6-8 frame. Brandon Parker, who — like Miller — started at tackle as a rookie, also has bulked up noticeably after being listed last year at 6-7 and 305 pounds.
“Have you seen our O-line?” Miller asked Tuesday. “We are some big guys.”
The point, too, is evident. The Raiders are counting on the line to throw its weight around much more than last season, when their offense ranked 25th in rushing and Derek Carr was sacked a career-high 51 times.
Miller and Parker contributed to those numbers with inconsistent rookie seasons. In March, the Raiders made Brown, who played left tackle last year for the Super Bowl-champion Patriots, the highestpaid offensive lineman in the league.
But rather than installing Brown at left tackle, head coach Jon Gruden said the Raiders plan to keep Miller, their 2018 first-round pick, on the side where he started all 16 games last year. It is a decision Miller views as both an expression of confidence and a challenge.
“It felt good, staying left,” Miller said. “I’m going to go where they put me, and what they think is best for the team. But I know that I have a job to do and I know last year wasn’t good enough. There were a lot of problems with that. I’m expected to be better and I will be better.”
Miller, according to Pro Football Focus, was responsible for a league-high 16 sacks last season and allowed 65 pressures in pass-protection, second most in the NFL. His runblocking wasn’t much better: PFF rated him 61st among tackles with 550 or more snaps.
It’s worth noting, however, that 16 sacks and 60 of the pressures came after Week 3, per PFF. In Week 4, Miller suffered a knee sprain that he subsequently played through. Although Miller said little about the injury, Gruden late last year termed him “one of the most mentally tough kids you’ll find.”
On Tuesday, Gruden said the Raiders still have high expectations for Miller.
“We think Kolton Miller’s going to be one of the best at left tackle in football,” Gruden said. “He’s not only healthy, he’s in great shape. He’s gotten a lot stronger, he’s added some weight and some muscle. And he’s still a real flexible athlete that can run and change directions.”
Miller said he spent the offseason training in the Sacramento area and living at home, where his parents “were struggling to pile on the food every night.” Carr was among those to note Miller’s change in physique.
“He’s huge,” Carr said. “I don’t know if he’s gained 30 pounds or what. And he looks great. Not being weird, but the man looks like he’s ready. He’s worked his tail off.”
Carr said it appears the line overall is “definitely bigger and stronger.” Parker, who returns as a swing tackle behind Miller and Brown, spent part of the offseason living and training with right guard Gabe Jackson and “came back a lot stronger,” Gruden said.
“He’s getting that country strength,” Carr said of Parker. “Gabe eats a lot, so I know Brandon was eating good.”
As for Brown, Carr said: “He’s so big, it’s going to take them long enough to just get around him. So I’m good with that.”
With Jackson returning next to Pro Bowl center Rodney Hudson, left guard is the one offensiveline spot that Gruden said the Raiders “still have to solve.” Denzelle Good (6-5, 345) is working there with the starters early in the offseason program, though Gruden floated the option Tuesday of moving Parker inside to guard.
Parker, who played only left tackle in college, started 12 games last season on the right side and allowed 10 sacks, according to PFF. The Raiders tied for the fifth-most sacks allowed in the NFL in 2018 — a number Carr said he already thinks is motivating the returning linemen.
“All of those guys, I think they kind of took it personal,” Carr said. “They understand there was injuries, they understand there was a couple plays I should have thrown the ball away. But that number, it eats at them. They’re prideful guys. They don’t want me getting touched.
“They showed up and, man, I can tell already. Three months is a long time to sit on the couch or get to work. And you can tell all those guys went to work.” Brown arrives: After missing the Raiders’ first organized team activity Tuesday, receiver Antonio Brown was present for Wednesday’s session, according to posts on his social-media account. Gruden did not give a reason for Brown’s absence Tuesday.