When the Raiders take on the Dolphins on offense in Miami on Sunday, the offensive line will be almost indistinguishable from the one that took the field earlier in the season. Hell, it won't even resemble what was on the field in their last game.
Injuries and poor play from the starting starters have completely transformed the Raiders' offensive line. This week they will field their whopping sixth different starting offensive combination of the season.
From left to right are the starting five: LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, , and RT DJ Glaze.
The only position on the line with the same starter as the season opener is left tackle Kolton Miller.
Cody Whitehair started the season at left-back – . Andre James started the season as a center player – .
Dylan Parham started the season at right back – he got injured and then .
Thayer Munford started the season at right tackle – he was injured and then replaced as the starter by rookie DJ Glaze.
This is what the starting lineup looked like for every game this season:
| Week | LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| 1 | Müller | White hair | James | Parham | Munford |
| 2 | Müller | peat | James | Parham | Munford |
| 3 | Müller | White hair | James | Parham | Munford |
| 4 | Müller | P Johnson | James | Parham | glaze |
| 5 | Müller | P Johnson | James | Parham | glaze |
| 6 | Müller | P Johnson | James | Parham | glaze |
| 7 | Müller | P Johnson | James | Meredith | glaze |
| 8 | Müller | P Johnson | James | Meredith | glaze |
| 9 | Müller | White hair | P Johnson | Meredith | glaze |
| 11 | Müller | Parham | P Johnson | Meredith | glaze |
“In the end, it was like our whole season. Next man up, right? It’s next man up,” head coach Antonio Pierce said of the changing line.
“You just hate that we keep changing all these pieces along the offensive line because at some point you just want to have five guys there, continuity, chemistry. That's really the glue of our team if you can have that. So we’re consistently working on that.”
On the one hand, it is difficult to achieve a certain level of consistency in the game without continuity. On the other hand, finding the top five is important, and at least two of those guys were replaced by someone who surpassed them.
It's very likely that this lineup is the Raiders' best five. Parham is moving back to left guard, where he had played the past two seasons, and Andre James hasn't done much to prevent Rimington Award winner Powers-Johnson from getting his shot at the job. And so far JPJ seems like he likes it.
As far as depth goes, the Raiders may have to rely on their practice squad to do that.