3 Players Raiders Must Consider Benching amid 2-7 Start

The Las Vegas Raiders have endured some painful losses this season, but the one that pushed them to 2-7 might be the worst yet.

Not only did it pretty much put the nail in the coffin of any playoff hopes, it came against an Indianapolis Colts team that just fired its coach and replaced him with a man who had only coached at the high school level before Sunday, Jeff Saturday.

It's an all-new low in the Josh McDaniels era. And it's an era that already has plenty of competition in that department.

There's plenty of blame to go around. The coaching staff has obviously struggled to smoothly transition the roster into their culture and schemes. And injuries like the ones that have forced Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow to the injured reserve certainly don't help.

The best thing the Raiders can do now is shuffle the lineup a little, give some new blood a chance to make an impression and hope for some momentum to take into 2023.

They can start by taking these three guys out of the lineup.

OG Alex Bars

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 06: Las Vegas Raiders guard Alex Bars (64) during the game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 6, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fl. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Raiders have done plenty of trial-and-error with the offensive line this season. Sometimes that's the only move available when you have holes up front and several young and unproven players who could fit in several different slots.

But it's safe to say Alex Bars is not one of the answers.

The 27-year-old came over from the Chicago Bears, another team that struggled on the offensive line last year, with a PFF grade of 49.0 in the 92 snaps he played as a reserve.

That should have been a red flag, but it didn't stop the Raiders from making him a starter. He's started seven games, but his level of play is about the same. He's only allowed two sacks but has a lowly PFF grade of 45.3, which ranks him 74th out of 82 guards ranked by the site.

Jermaine Eluemunor has graded out much better at right tackle. So, while Thayer Munford has been repping at right tackle, it would be worth seeing what the rookie can do at right guard for the rest of the season.

It certainly can't be worse than what the team is getting out of Bars right now.

DT Bilal Nichols

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Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Bilal Nichols (91) yells to the fans during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct 23, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Bilal Nichols was brought in as a free agent this offseason to add some punch to a defensive interior that was a weakness last season.

Nine games in, the experiment hasn't panned out. The 26-year-old hasn't been a high-impact defender.

He provided some pass-rush help during his time in Chicago with eight sacks and 22 quarterback hits over the last two seasons. But he has no sacks and just six quarterback hits this year despite playing a career-high 69 percent of the snaps.

Nichols is ranked 87th out of the 122 interior defenders graded by PFF.

The Delaware product can still be part of the rotation. He's one of the most experienced defensive tackles Las Vegas has, and his play doesn't warrant a complete benching. However, his role needs to be reduced.

After all, the Raiders spent two draft picks on Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler. They also just claimed Jerry Tillery off of waivers. With a lot of the season's goals out of reach, it's time to give the younger players more minutes to see what they can offer.

LB Jayon Brown

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NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 25: Jayon Brown #50 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs to the ball carrier during an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on September 25, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Jayon Brown is another offseason addition who just hasn't lived up to expectations.

The athletic linebacker was supposed to be an asset for his pass coverage and athleticism. Instead, he's given up 19 completions on 19 targets for 10.4 yards per target and a passer rating allowed of 109.9.

The issues in coverage, combined with a general lack of impact plays, are why Brown is ranked 76th out of 82 linebackers that PFF graded.

The Raiders leaned on the 27-year-old against the Colts out of necessity. He had been inactive for a month but ended up playing every defensive snap against Indianapolis due to injuries to Divine Deablo and Denzel Perryman.

Throw in the sudden retirement of Blake Martinez, and the Silver and Black have their hands tied to an extent.

Brown has proved he's not the answer, though, and the Colts' 207 rushing yards is just the latest example of why the Raiders can't allow the 27-year-old to continue to play.

Even if it means plucking a linebacker from someone's practice squad, the team has to keep searching for solutions.