Oakland Raiders: 5 Biggest questions entering 2017 training camp
2. Who’s the starting right tackle?
The starting right tackle handles the most fearsome pass rushers the league has to offer. Von Miller, Joey Bosa, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Houston, Ryan Kerrigan to name a few. With blocking tight end extraordinaire Lee Smith healthy and ready to mangle opponents this battle isn’t quite as important as we think. The Raiders have numerous young options at the position as well as some of the same old names that it seems the team is inching closer to being ready to move on from.
David Sharpe is a mountain of a man who was responsible for holding up the coach’s son’s blindside down at the University of Florida.
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Vadal Alexander is a versatile lineman drafted as a guard but he has logged some time at right tackle and had a solid showing. He was a little rough around the edges, but with an offseason with Mike Tice and the departure of Menelik Watson the door is opening for him to step up and take the job.
Marshall Newhouse is a bit of an enigma. Many New York Giants fans were willing to cast him away screaming good riddance to bad rubbish. And yet Newhouse according to Pro Football Focus was a superior pass blocker to anyone they had at the position last year.
Austin Howard is the man who was brought in on a big contract to be the answer and just quite hasn’t panned out. He is the man everyone seems content to cut and let go, but it’s up to Howard to convince the Raiders that it won’t be necessary.