Oakland Raiders: Offseason Strategies to Fix the Offensive Line

This offseason, the Oakland Raiders have taken a similar approach to free agency to what they did last year. They are focusing primarily on their own free agents keeping them happy and in the Silver and Black.

Now, a lot of that could be due to the uncertainty around the collective bargaining agreement and the free agency period that may or may not begin. Regardless, the Raiders have recognized their need to keep the core of their players for the near future.

Some, however, may believe that unlike a year ago, the Raiders may be returning to their overpaying ways.

The Richard Seymour deal, in my opinion, was well worth it—not just because of his production on the field, but also his leadership off it. Seymour made many players across the defense play a whole lot better. You reward that type of presence, and owner Al Davis has done that.

Next is Kamerion Wimbley with the franchise tag. Many are of the opinion that the franchise tag should have been placed on Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller.

If I'm not mistaken, Miller is a restricted free agent, meaning whatever team offers him a deal, all the Raiders have to do is match it. Keeping Miller is going to be a bit easier, as I doubt there are many teams that are willing make Miller the top paid tight end. It makes sense for the Raiders to franchise their leading sacker in 2010.

Stanford Routt's deal, I believe, is the biggest head scratcher. I believe that he has been the only re-signing that has been overpaid. Routt's play in 2010 was probably the most productive in his career, so he did deserve a pay raise—but maybe not up to that caliber. Routt's value is only as good as Nnamdi Asomugha being next to him. I just hope the Raiders recognize that. I'm not sure Routt can be the No. 1 corner.

For the record, I still believe Asomugha can be a Raider in 2011 and the future. But now it gets a whole lot more difficult.

If Asomugha does stay, I'm going to assume Robert Gallery and Michael Bush are gone.

As far as Bush is concerned, I think it is going to be too hard to keep him but may be even harder to let him go. His presence in 2010 was felt, and nobody wanted a piece of the big guy in the fourth quarter—just ask the AFC West. But keeping him is just too much right now.

Finding production from the running back position is not the hardest thing to do, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Raiders wanted to look at the draft or even undrafted rookies to replace that production. I'm not saying you can just replace Bush with just anybody, because you can't, but it looks like the Raiders may have to at least try.

That leads me to Robert Gallery. Galley may be our most productive lineman as a left guard. However, he has become our most injury prone. Keep in mind that Gallery's career has not gone as planned, as his time at left tackle was not at all a success. His most productive years came as a guard in Tom Cable's zone blocking scheme. If the Raiders question Gallery's transition to a power scheme, Gallery may be done as a Raider.

So what does that mean for our offensive line, losing its most productive player?

Well, I believe the Raiders are going to have to have faith in their young players and believe in their coaching.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Jared Gaither is not going to become an Oakland Raider, regardless of his connection to Hue Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens tried to flex their muscles and force Gaither to play right tackle. Needless to say, that did not work. The Ravens now realize that Michael "The Blind Side" Oher is not meant to block the blind side of a quarterback on the NFL level, making their need to keep Gaither that much more important.

I know fans don't want to outright give the starting left tackle position to Jared Veldheer, and I totally understand and agree. However, the Raiders may need to find other competition options, so expect Veldheer to be our starter for the near future.

I have a feeling that with the exception of Veldheer, our entire offensive line will be new. I've already mentioned that Gallery could be gone, and right tackle Langston Walker could fall to the same fate. Nobody wants Cooper Carlisle back, and I'm not sure if Samson Satele did enough to keep his starting position. We could be talking about a completely different offensive line.

So what should the Raiders do to solve this issue? Hear me out.

Bruce Campbell was one of the biggest steals in the draft in 2010. Unfortunately, he did not get to play a whole lot. The Raiders decided to move him to right guard in order to make him a more versatile lineman and potentially give him a bigger opportunity to play. Well, despite Carlisle's struggles, Campbell did not play much at all.

To put Campbell at guard would be the biggest waste of athleticism I've ever seen. If you ask him to play right tackle, a position he's more suited for, you could get real value.

But the Raiders would still need a left guard and center.

This draft is stacked with interior linemen, and most of the top-rated tackles won't get picked into the middle of the first round. That leaves all the guards and centers falling into the second and third round.

You still with me?

If the Raiders take Marcus Cannon out of TCU in the second round, they would get a tackle who projects to be a guard at the NFL level but is versatile enough to play tackle. In the third round, if the Raiders get Jake Kirkpatrick, who could be the best pure center in the draft, that would keep the center position with a lot of depth. Where is Kirkpatrick from? TCU.

Keeping those two guys together could be beneficial because the Raiders would have a very young offensive line. But what they lack in experience they make up for in chemistry. We all know how important that is at the NFL level. Just look at the NY Jets offensive line. The chemistry of Cannon and Kirkpatrick, plus the teammate experience of Veldheer and Campbell, should equal longevity on the offensive line.

The Raiders then would still need a right guard. I suggest the Raiders head back to Baltimore but rather pursue Marshal Yanda instead of Gaither. Yanda would provide that veteran leadership and experience and show these young linemen what to expect from Hue Jackson's philosophy.

Some believe that the Raiders are on the cusp of greatness, and that may be asking too much of young players. I could understand that reasoning. But it has to at least be running through the minds of the Oakland Raiders, especially if they want a solid line for a long period of time.

That is just one theory, and I have more, but I know you don't have all day to read my opinions, so instead give me yours. Leave a comment and tell me what you think the Raiders should do to solve a problem that has plagued them for so long.

Go Raiders!