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The Las Vegas Raiders have made almost all of the major additions they are going to make to their roster this offseason.
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Raiders Beef Up Trenches
The Raiders allowed more sacks than any other team in the National Football League last season, while also rushing for the fewest yards of any team. The Raiders accomplished the latter, even after using the No. 6 pick on running back Ashton Jeanty, confirming the line was the issue.
Las Vegas’ entire season was derailed by the lack of talent, health, and depth along its offensive line. This offseason, the Raiders started free agency off with a bang, most notably signing one of the best players available this offseason, veteran offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum.
Linderbaum was the splash move of the offseason around the league, as the Raiders wasted no time in free agency signing him. Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak explained Linderbaum’s importance to the team.
“Well, he touches the ball on every play, makes the line calls, he calls protections, he calls directions, he makes dummy calls, he’s the leader of the whole operation, touches the ball before the quarterback gets it. He’s going to be leading meetings when the coaches aren’t there,” Kubiak said.
The Raiders need Linderbaum to live up to the level of production he has shown throughout his career. If he can continue playing at the same level he has, that alone will help the Raiders’ offensive line tremendously. Fixing their offensive line started with fixing the center position.
Las Vegas failed to find a consistent answer at the center position over the past two seasons. They started free agency off by adding one of the best centers and overall players available this offseason. Las Vegas expects Linderbaum to be an integral part of their turnaround moving forward.
This Las Vegas team has been one of the league’s worst recently. Much of that has stemmedfrom inconsistent play along its offensive line. Assuming everyone stays healthy, the addition of Linderbaum should improve the line enough for the unit to take a step forward in 2026.
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In addition to his performance on the field since being drafted, Kubiak noted a few of the things about Linderbaum that made the Raiders go after him so aggressively in free agency. Linderbaum will help the Raiders in more ways than one, as his record-breaking contract calls for him to do.
“Accountable guys that obviously have produced on the field, coming from winning teams, guys that football is important to them,” Kubiak said.
“It’s easy to say that, but when you talk to the people that have coached them, talk to their college teams, you talk to their teammates. ‘What is this guy like when things get hard?’ Because there’s going to be adversity. It’s not going to be perfect. So, you want guys that can handle things the right when it gets tough.”
Raiders’ Jump
With Linderbaum in the fold, along with an improved coaching staff and roster, Las Vegas’ offense should be better this season than it has been in the past. Linderbaum’s arrival cannot be overstated, as the Raiders’ offensive line was that bad, and Linderbaum is that good.
Linderbaum’s addition will be one of the most critical the Raiders have made under General Manager John Spytek.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/raiders/onsi as 1 Move Raiders Cannot Afford To Get Wrong.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 3:00 AM.