Raiders New Center Ranks High Among NFL Interior Linemen

Raiders New Center Ranks High Among NFL Interior Linemen reports how Las Vegas’s offseason move reshaped expectations at center with the signing of Tyler Linderbaum. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler ranked Linderbaum eighth among interior offensive linemen, calling it notable because the market timing favored offensive centers and the Raiders effectively “overpaid” by competing heavily with themselves to secure the top option. The contract is a three-year deal worth $81 million, which is linked to high expectations for immediate impact. Fowler credited Linderbaum as an elite run blocker and also cited pass-blocking performance, ranking second among centers with a 97.2% pass-block win rate, an area that had been problematic for the Raiders in the previous season. The article also describes a potential weakness: some coaches said he can be a liability at times in pass protection due to a tendency to “float and help” rather than match one-on-one. It notes that Kolton Miller is expected back from an injury and that the right side—DJ Glaze and Jackson Powers-Johnson—remains a key uncertainty heading into September.