Why Austin Howard Is Oakland Raiders' Best Bet at Right Guard

The Oakland Raiders should move Austin Howard back to guard in order to strengthen the right side of their offensive line and allow another young prospect to develop.

It all started a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl. New head coach Jack Del Rio made one of his first major decisions, moving Howard back to his natural position at tackle, per San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur:

Playing to Howard’s Strengths

Former interim head coach Tony Sparano made a strategic move transitioning Howard inside as an interior lineman in 2014. He worked with the former undrafted talent in New York as an offensive coordinator for the Jets in 2012.

Ultimately, he decided Howard fit the mold of a guard rather than a tackle.

Sparano noticed something in Howard’s play that was evident in 2014. He’s a far better run-blocker than pass-blocker on the line.

Generally, coaches want better pass-blockers on the outside to ward off edge-rushers and more stout run-blockers on the interior to impede larger defensive tackles while clearing lanes for ball-carriers.

Howard (6’7", 330 lbs) has the size to play inside, but he’s also better equipped to handle bigger defensive linemen. The proof is in the pudding—or in this case, Pro Football Focus’ grading system:

Year	Position	Pass-blocking Grade	Run-blocking Grade
2014	RG	-11.4	-3.9
2013	RT	-2.6	-6.0
2012	RT	-10.4	14.2

In his first full season starting with the Jets, the disparity between his run-blocking and pass-blocking grades shouldn’t be ignored.

In 2012, Howard had the daunting task of protecting quarterback Mark Sanchez, but he also provided excellent run blocking for Shonn Greene. Greene rushed for a career-high 1,063 yards that season and hasn’t been heard from since his departure. He has totaled a mere 687 rushing yards since joining the Tennessee Titans in 2013.

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Howard’s grades were closer to even in the following season, and his pass blocking significantly improved.

However, in his first full season playing at guard for Oakland, the gap between his pass-blocking and run-blocking skills became evident yet again.

A player’s strengths should take precedent over his natural position. Naturally, Khalil Mack is an outside linebacker, but he’s going to crush QBs coming off the defensive line as a defensive end in sub-packages in the upcoming season.

Oakland has placed a premium on versatility, so there’s no reason to handcuff Howard to the tackle position. He has played both guard and tackle as a proven versatile asset.

He improved significantly from his first to second year at tackle and could show the same improvement in a second year lining up on the inside.

Furthermore, he’s a better candidate to start at guard over rookie Jon Feliciano and veteran offensive lineman Khalif Barnes.

Howard Most Experienced at Guard

The competition at guard consists of Feliciano, Barnes and J’Marcus Webb, who has never taken a snap as a guard in his five-year career. Feliciano has taken snaps at center and taken a backseat to Barnes thus far, per Silver & Black Pride's Levi Damien.

Damien observed and commented on the early stages of OTAs.

"Through rookie minicamps, the Raiders had put fourth-round pick Jon Feliciano there as he was the only one who had lined up at center at all. In the first OTA, he was lined up at right guard behind Barnes."

Damien reports the newcomer Webb has taken first-team reps, and it seems Feliciano is likely a year or so away from claiming the starting spot. 

It’s a great idea to give backups reps with the first team in case of injury or poor performance from starters. However, if the Raiders want to win now, it has to start up front on the offensive line.

DeMarco Murray went from an average running back to the league's leading rusher by nearly 500 yards because the Dallas Cowboys put together solid line protection.

If the Raiders want their Murray to have a breakout season, he needs to run behind the best interior linemen on the roster. In this case, one of those linemen happens to be the most experienced in Howard.

Barnes is touted as a solid utility lineman, but Howard has taken almost twice as many snaps at the guard position:

Player	Year	Snaps at Guard
Austin Howard	2014	668
Khalif Barnes	2014	180
Khalif Barnes	2013	195

Consistency is key. Why interrupt Howard’s groove? He hasn’t played tackle since 2013.

Barnes is a 10-year veteran who has only filled in at guard with spot duty for the past two seasons. His strong suit is his experience at tackle. Logically, he should be competing with Menelik Watson at tackle, which leads to my final point.

Don’t Bury Menelik Watson

Starting Howard at tackle would bury second-round pick Watson way too early. Watson has only started 12 games at tackle—pushing Howard ahead of him would stunt his development. Barring injuries, Watson would await the expiration of Donald Penn’s contract in 2016 to see the field extensively.

Moving Howard inside over Barnes would open the tackle position for Watson while maintaining solid play at guard until Feliciano develops into a starter.

Barnes is a veteran, but he’s not getting any better or becoming the solution to a long-term plan at age 33. He’s great at what he does in spot duty as an utility lineman.

Oakland should invest in its developing talent and allow it to play heavily on the right side of the offensive line in the upcoming season.

Howard has the size, ability and experience over the competition at right guard. Sparano was on to something experimenting with Howard, and Del Rio should consider revisiting that plan and further developing his skill set.

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Advanced statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, ESPN.com and Pro Football Focus. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.