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Klint Kubiak needed just one word to put the Raiders’ offensive line on notice.
Asked whether changes up front were under consideration, including giving rookie Trey Zuhn III an opportunity for meaningful reps, the Raiders coach offered an answer as brief as it was revealing.
“Yes.”
For a coach who spends his words carefully, that one spoke volumes.
And rightfully so.
Four consecutive losses have exposed plenty of problems, but the inability to establish a dependable running game remains among the most damaging. Too often, the Raiders’ interior offensive linemen are being pushed backward while the entire offense pays the price.
At some point, continuity becomes a tough sell when it means continuing to get beat.
The numbers reinforce the concern.
Pro Football Focus ranks left guard Spencer Burford 58th among 74 qualifying guards with a 51.6 overall grade. Jackson Powers-Johnson sits 63rd at 48.1, while Caleb Rogers ranks 72nd at 42.7. Those are overall grades, encompassing more than their struggles opening running lanes.
The run-blocking evaluations are equally troubling: Burford ranks 56th, Rogers 66th and Powers-Johnson 70th among those 74 guards.
The Raiders are fielding the third-worst rushing game in the NFL, amassing just 523 yards through seven games while averaging 3.0 yards per carry.
Powers-Johnson and Rogers have taken turns at right guard, but neither has made a compelling case to own the position. Changing the name in the lineup has not consistently changed what happens after the snap.
That leaves Kubiak searching for answers at both guard spots.
Even Tyler Linderbaum, the high-priced free-agent center brought in to anchor the operation, has been just OK. PFF grades him 20th among 35 qualifying centers overall, with a 60.4 mark, and 15th in run blocking.
The Raiders invested in a difference-maker. They need more than ordinary.
Grading systems do not explain every missed assignment or failed possession. But those evaluations hardly contradict what has repeatedly unfolded on the field: an offense struggling to create space where its running game needs to begin.
When penetration disrupts a handoff before a running back can find a crease, the damage extends beyond one wasted down. It creates longer third downs, limits play-action opportunities and asks Kirk Cousins to keep rescuing possessions through the air.
Kubiak’s answer did not guarantee Zuhn a starting job. It did, however, acknowledge that other options deserve serious consideration.
Zuhn still must prove he can help. The players ahead of him have had opportunities to prove they should remain there.
After four straight losses, Kubiak has every reason to demand a better argument.
