The Las Vegas Raiders have several tough decisions to make on the offensive line this offseason. Three of their starting five offensive linemen are set to hit the open market, including Jermaine Eluemunor and Andre James.
Eluemunor has played both left and right tackle for the Raiders over the last two seasons and has been incredibly solid. But with the emergence of Thayer Munford, the Raiders might decide to let the veteran walk.
The more difficult decision is James, who has been the Raiders’ starting center for three years. In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they expect James to get a new deal around $8M in the 2024 offseason:
James clearly earned a lot of respect and trust from the previous Raiders regime, given that the team was willing to trade away franchise pillar Rodney Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals to have James supplant him at center.
The move has proven to be a smart one. James is patient and a clean fit in pass protection, able to mirror the shiftier interior pass-rushers and generally withstand power rushes, save for a few matchups with the true brute forces on the inside.
If it only costs the Raiders $8M to lock up their starting center, that is a move they have to make this offseason. The Raiders have had one of the better offensive lines in the league and keeping as many of them together for the foreseeable future would be a wise deal.
Look for the Raiders to try to retain James this offseason, but expect plenty of other teams to be interested in the former UCLA Bruin.
