The Oakland Raiders head into their Week 5 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers down a right tackle. Kolton Miller needs to get better quickly.
The Oakland Raiders offensive line is a wreck. Injuries and poor play have riddled what Pro Football Focus considered a top 10 group before the season. Poor play and now an injury to Donald Penn has left the Raiders with rookies starting at the tackle positions.
Compounding the problem is that all three interior offensive linemen appeared on this week’s injury report. Even though center Rodney Hudson and guard Gabe Jackson were limited on Wednesday, they should be ready to play on Sunday. Left guard Kelechi Osemele did not practice Wednesday but he has not yet been ruled out for the game against the Chargers.
Left tackle Kolton Miller appeared on the injury report as limited with a knee injury. Right tackle Donald Penn was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury he suffered last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Heading into Week 5, the Raiders will be starting another rookie on the offensive line. The starting right tackle for this week will be rookie Brandon Parker.
The Raiders won the game. But at what cost to the offensive line?
With the Raiders offensive line on the brink of falling apart, it is time for Miller to step up to the plate.
The first four weeks have been tough on Miller. The schedule has been brutal for the developing left tackle. Against the Los Angeles Rams, he faced a very good pass rushing defense. The Denver Broncos brought the duo of Von Miller and rookie Bradly Chubb. The Miami Dolphins welcomed Miller to town by introducing him to Cameron Wake. The Cleveland Browns did not offer much relief by sending Myles Garrett after him on a consistent basis.
But nonetheless, this is the NFL. There will never be a week off. There will never be an easy assignment. Miller needs to improve his pass protection quickly for the Raiders to be successful.
After one quarter of the season, where does Miller stand with run blocking, pass protection and what can he do to improve over the rest of the season?