The Oakland Raiders are ready for a fierce summer after making a number of moves in the offseason and after bringing in a number of new players, head coach Dennis Allen is trying to see what he has and one of the biggest battles over the summer will be on the offensive line.
The Raiders had a tough time protecting Carson Palmer last year and now the team is looking at a new left guard option, as Lucas Nix started off working on Tuesday ahead of Tony Bergstrom at left guard at OTA workouts. Both players are expected to compete at the position for the team as Cooper Carlisle has been released and now the team is giving Nix his shot.
Bergstrom was the first pick by general manager Reggie McKenzie in the third round last year and while he had the early edge, the undrafted free agent Nix is getting a long look. The Raiders have had issues on the offensive line for years and with Matt Flynn in the fold the team is looking to improve in the trenches. The team added a number of players on both sides of the ball in the offseason with the emphasis on defense and some players include Mike Jenkins, Tracy Porter, Charles Woodson, Nick Roach and Kevin Burnett.
Oakland likes to use zone blocking and Bergstrom was expected to be a big part of that, but now the team is going for a power blocking type style and Dennis Allen feels Nix is better suited for that. McKenzie still likes Bergstrom and the team feels that he can be a solid contributor this season. The offensive line needs to improve to help the running game, which was one of the worst in the league last year.
Bergstrom did not play much as a rookie and as training camp moves forward he will likely have to compete for his spot. On the other wide of the ball both Christo Bilukidi and free-agent pickup Vance Walker were on the first unit on defense and that will be big as the team tries to replace Desmond Bryant. The Raiders have the chance to be one of the most improved teams in the league after going just 4-12 last season after trading for Matt Flynn and a healthy Darren McFadden will be a big part of that.
