LA Chargers: Ranking the offensive lines in the AFC West
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers have consistently had one of the worst offensive lines not just in the AFC West but in the entire NFL in recent years. Philip Rivers had to deal with it nearly his entire career and Justin Herbert got a taste of what Rivers had to go through in 2020.
The Chargers were lucky that Herbert was not only the best quarterback in the league against pressure last season but also stayed healthy. What happened to Joe Burrow should have been a wake-up call.
And it appeared to be. The Chargers have a new-look offensive line and the AFC West offensive line rankings are completely different than what they were when the 2020 season ended. As we have with the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and tight ends, here are the offensive lines in the AFC, ranked.
AFC West offensive line rankings:
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are the new bottom team in the AFC West and it is not even close. Like the Chargers in years past, the Raiders have one of the worst offensive lines in the entire league and Derek Carr will be running for his life.
To be fair, there are reasons for Raider fans to at least convince themselves that the offensive line could be better than expected. Kolton Miller is a young tackle and could experience a jump in production and Richie Incognito hardly played last season.
That being said, the Raiders still lost one of the best centers in the league in Rodney Hudson and are hoping that Alex Leatherwood can handle full-time right tackle duties in year one.
Part of the reason why the Raiders rank last is that I am really cold on Leatherwood. There were several better options for the Raiders in the first round, including Christian Darrisaw, who we all thought was going to the LA Chargers before the draft.
This offensive line very well could surprise us but right now, it is the worst in the division.