PHOENIX — The Las Vegas Raiders believe two key acquisitions this offseason will help bolster an offensive line badly in need ofrepair.
Only one of them will actually wear a uniform.
The Raiders made one of the biggest splashes in free agency of any team in the league by adding center Tyler Linderbaum from the Ravens and making him the highest-paid interior lineman in NFL history.
His presence will serve to immediately make the unit better, particularly because of the importance of the position in new coach Klint Kubiak’s system.
But the secret sauce for the Raiders hopes of an improved front figures to be offensive line coach Rick Dennison.
“I told him I wasn’t taking the job unless he was coming with me,” Kubiak said with a smile during the NFL league meetings.
It has been a long-running relationship.
Dennison played with Kubiak’s father, Gary, with the Broncos from 1983 until 1990, then coached together at several stops in the NFL.
Klint Kubiak has known Dennison since he was a very young child. They have coached together in Denver, Minnesota, New Orleans and most recently, Seattle, where they won the Super Bowl together with the Seahawks in February.
“I’ve been really fortunate to get to work with Rick,” Kubiak said. “He was the offensive coordinator when I worked with Denver, and he teaches me way more than I’ve ever taught him. His experience in this scheme, his ability as a coach to get the best out of his players, his ability to scheme offensively. He’s as good as it gets.”
The Raiders hope that knowledge will help the line make significant strides as they move to Kubiak’s preferred outside zone scheme.
Linderbaum’s addition will help. So will some positive health updates on longtime left tackle Kolton Miller, who was limited to just four games last season.
“He’s progressing really well,” general manager John Spytek said. “You’ll see him on the grass here sometime in the near future.”
Kubiak said that should happen sometime around veteran minicamp in mid-June. His presence would be a huge boost to a group that could have third-year pro DJ Glaze competing with Charles Grant, who essentially took a redshirt season as a rookie last year.
“I’m really excited about those guys,” Kubiak said. “I think DJ is a really good young player and we’re developing Charles. So, I think we got three guys that can play.”
Spytek, who drafted Grant in the third round last season, believes that’s the best way to build a front five.
“There are good tackles, but you’re typically not signing a guy you’re just going to plug in and play left tackle. That would be crazy,” Spytek said. “You’ve got to draft those guys and develop them and re-sign them. That’s the formula. We looked at a lot of different guys and ultimately felt pretty comfortable with the three guys we have on the roster and who are in the building right now.
“Then, we’ve got 10 picks in the draft and we have an opportunity to build from that point too, which is the best way to win.”
Of course, when the right player is available in free agency, it’s important to pounce like the Raiders did with Linderbaum.
A center who can not only move in space, but is intelligent enough to make line calls and protections.
Kubiak identified Linderbaum as one of the keys to unlocking the potential of his system, particularly with what is expected to be a rookie quarterback learning the ropes in projected top pick Fernando Mendoza.
“He’s the leader of the whole operation, touches the ball before the quarterback gets it,” Kubiak said of Linderbaum. “He’s going to be leading meetings when the coaches aren’t there. So, what stands out about him is just obviously the film that he’s put on is exceptional. He was a really, really talented college player that’s gotten better as a pro. Love his play style. He’s physical, he’s nasty, plays through the echo of the whistle, finishes games, has been on a winning team, so we’re trying to bring winners to the Raiders so that we can be on that level and go win playoff games.”
The offensive line will need to be a big part of that.
Kubiak and Spytek believe they can.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.