The Oakland Raiders didn’t have an immediate plan for the left guard position when they traded former All-Pro Kelechi Osemele away to the New York Jets in March.
Osemele had been a great player for many years but injuries and age — plus a poor schematic fit — had caught up to him so the decision to ship him away wasn’t too difficult. But finding a suitable replacement has been challenging.
At first, the anticipated starter appeared to be veteran Denzelle Good who the team had acquired late last season. Good made four appearances, three starts, at right guard in place of the injured Gabe Jackson and performed admirably.