Ranking AFC West offensive lines: How does re-shuffling up front impact Raiders’ ranking?

With Dylan Parham moving to right guard and two new starters in the trenches, how do the Silver and Black stack up against the rest of the division?

With some downtime before training camp, we’ve been exploring how the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster compares to the rest of the AFC West. Here, we’ll dive into the offensive lines which is a strong position group for the division as a whole.

However, the Las Vegas Raiders have done some re-shuffling in the trenches this offseason which leads to a few question marks about how the unit will perform in the fall.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Projected Starters: Wanya Morris (LT), Joe Thuney (LG), Creed Humphrey (C), Trey Smith (RG), Jawaan Taylor (RT)

The Chiefs have issues at offensive tackle as the team will have a first-year starter to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side in either second-year pro Morris or rookie Kingsley Suamataia, and Taylor was a disappointing free agent signing in 2023. However, Kansas City’s interior three are some of the best in the NFL.

Humphrey has been in the league for three seasons and already has a second-team All-Pro bid with two Pro Bowl nominations. Last year, he posted his worst grade from Pro Football Focus, a 78.2 which ranked seventh among centers. Not bad for a “down year”.

Meanwhile, Thuney is coming off a first-team All-Pro bid and is a two-time second-teamer. He also ranked ninth among guards with a 74.6 mark from PFF last season while Smith came in at No. 13 by posting a 72.2 grade.

2. Denver Broncos

Projected Starters: Garett Bolles (LT), Ben Powers (LG), Luke Wattenberg (C), Quinn Meinerz (RG), Mike McGlinchey (RT)

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After losing Lloyd Cushenberry III in free agency, center is a big weak spot in Denver as Wattenberg and Alex Forsyth lack regular season experience. But Bolles (75.9, 19th) and McGlinchey (67.5, 41st) are a solid offensive tackle duo as both finished in the top 50 a year ago when it comes to PFF grades. They aren’t game-changers by any means, but are decent players.

A similar statement could be made about Powers, who had his ups and downs during his first season with the Broncos last year, but is only a year removed from allowing just 12 pressures with no sacks on 562 opportunities, per PFF, for the Baltimore Ravens.

The headliner up front in the Mile High City is Meinerz after he enjoyed a breakout campaign as PFF’s No. 3 guard during the regular season, posting an impressive 83.7 grade. He was a mauler in the running game last year and only gave up 23 pressures (two sacks) on 588 opportunities.

3. Los Angeles Chargers

Projected Starters: Rashawn Slater (LT), Zion Johnson (LG), Bradley Bozeman (C), Jamaree Salyer (RG), Joe Alt (RT)

It was tough to pick between the Chargers and the Broncos. Ultimately, the former just has a few more unknowns and unproven commodities.

Alt could end up being a great player as the No. 5 overall pick in the draft has plenty of talent, however, he’ll be switching sides of the center and is a rookie. It’s been a consistent theme of making first-year players “prove-it” when it comes to the AFC West position rankings.

Also, Sayler had a disappointing second season with a below-average mark from PFF (54.2) and looked better at tackle during his rookie season. And Johnson hasn’t lived up to the hype as the former first-round pick has given up 73 pressures over two years.

Then there’s Bozeman who will be replacing Corey Linsley, and while the former Carolina Panther has been a solid run-blocker throughout his career, he gave up eight sacks last fall. Granted, Slater is a stud who was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie and only injuries have slowed him down thus far.

Los Angeles could easily move up this list by season’s end, especially in Jim Harbaugh’s offense, but there are too many question marks to rank them higher heading into the campaign.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

Projected Starters: Kolton Miller (LT), Jackson Powers-Johnson (LG), Andre James (C), Dylan Parham (RG), Thayer Munford Jr. (RT)

We all know Miller is an elite left tackle and James is coming off arguably his best season, posting a career-high 74.6 PFF grade that ranked ninth among centers. However, the problem with the Raiders’ offensive line is they have questions at every other position.

Powers-Johnson is a rookie and will be switching positions after primarily lining up at center in college. While Parham has been a good right guard in the past, it’s a small sample size at that spot and he’s been average to slightly above average thus far in his career.

Additionally, Munford has been good in his role as a swing tackle over the last two years, but he enters his first season as a full-time starter which opens the door for some questions heading into the fall.

With only two starters even having a track record at their current spots or roles, it’s hard to push Las Vegas ahead of the other more established units in the AFC West. Again, the position group in the division is fairly strong as a whole, though.