The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Geno Smith with the idea in mind that he'd be an offensive floor raiser, and that reuniting him with Pete Carroll would bring enough experience to accelerate their rebuild and propel them into becoming a competitive NFL team once again.
Smith is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL, but his biggest problem with the Seattle Seahawks last year was that his offensive line didn't hold up against pressure. Despite his poise and accuracy, his athleticism can't carry him if he doesn't have a clean pocket
This led to Smith making a lot of mistakes and a clunky Seahawks offense that ultimately prevented them from making the playoffs. Smith had weapons to throw the ball to, but oftentimes he couldn't even progress past his first read without him already being pressured by the opposing defensive line.
If the Raiders don't want to repeat the mistakes the Seahawks made, they'll have to have a competent group of players protecting him. They already have good players in Jackson Powers-Johnson and Kolton Miller, but will that be enough?
The Raiders brought in Alex Cappa from the Cincinnati Bengals to be their starting right guard, but he was cut from the Bengals for a reason. Carmen Vitali, NFL reporter for FOX Sports, believes they need to add another right tackle before the season officially begins.
"The Raiders have done a ton of work on their offensive line with the arrival of Pete Carroll and new general manager John Spytek, but there’s still more to be done, specifically at right tackle. It can’t hurt to have the depth and competition that a veteran would bring".
She says they should in George Fant and have even more Seahawks influence on the team, but he's working out with the Dallas Cowboys in the off-season, and I doubt he'd switch over to the Raiders so suddenly.
If Cappa's able to rewind the clock and play as he did when he was blocking for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I would say that right guard isn't their priority on the offensive line. However, that's taking a big risk, and if Cappa only gets worse, it will be a huge liability, limiting the effectiveness of their offense.
