The Las Vegas Raiders spent big to land free agent center Tyler Linderbaum, and this list shows why.
The Las Vegas Raiders reset the market for centers in free agency by signing Tyler Linderbaum, and expectations are high. For Raiders fans looking for reassurances, though, the latest list from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has Linderbaum ranked eighth among interior offensive linemen.
It’s an unusual ranking, however. As Fowler noted, Linterbaum entered free agency at the perfect time for offensive linemen, and the Raiders were more than eager to overpay as they basically ended up bidding against themselves to get the premiere center. His contract is a three-year deal for $81 million, which helps explain the high expectations.
Another unusual part of this ranking is about the overall improvement Linderbaum instantly provides. Fowler noted that he’s an elite run blocker, but Linderbaum also ranked second among centers in pass block win rate at 97.2 percent, and pass blocking was a huge issue for the Raiders last year.
"A heavy-handed center that can get to the second level," a veteran NFL defensive coach said. "There aren't many of those at the center position who can do that at a high level. And he can run the show from a communication standpoint."
Running the show is going to be a big part of Linderbaum’s new job, and he’ll have his work cut out for him. Despite Linderbaum's impressive pass-blocking numbers, some coaches said he's a liability in that area at times with his tendency to "float and help" with scheme protection instead of matching up one-on-one.
Expect Linderbaum to have to do a lot of floating this year. The Raiders have two good offensive linemen right now, with left tackle Kolton Miller expected to help as he returns from an injury that took him out for most of last year. Miller got an honorable mention in Fowler’s recent list of top ten tackles, which is impressive given that he’s coming off an injury.
The big question, though, is on the right side of the line, where DJ Glaze and Jackson Powers-Johnson are expected to line up at tackle and guard, respectively. Both were part of the problem, and at the moment it’s unclear how much Linderbaum can elevate their play to solve the problems this unit faces.
We’ll get a closer look at all this in training camp, but that won’t have much meaning. This is one of those rare situations where literally everything remains a mystery until we see the Raiders on the field in September.
