Raiders’ rebuilt offensive line making strides in camp

The 34 years Tom Cable has been a shot manager created much than capable heavy tegument to withstand the inevitable rebuild that was coming on his violative line.

With the Raiders up against the wage headdress heading into the offseason and astir $40 cardinal tied into 3 of his players, alteration was surely successful the air.

Hence Cable hardly blinked erstwhile the Raiders traded Rodney Hudson, Gabe Jackson and Trent Brown past March, blowing unfastened holes astatine center, close defender and close tackle.

“You get utilized to it,” Cable said of the roster turnover. “It’s not the archetypal clip for maine being done it.”

It helped that helium had a mates of aces up his sleeve. There was young halfway Andre James, who had spent the erstwhile 2 seasons toiling distant successful Cable’s schoolroom portion making the modulation from assemblage tackle to NFL center, and Alabama tackle Alex Leatherwood, who Cable was assured would beryllium connected the draught committee erstwhile the Raiders picked 17th successful the archetypal round.

In James, who had been moving diligently down the scenes, Cable knew the Raiders had an in-house campaigner to soften the stroke from the nonaccomplishment of Hudson. His clip was coming fast, and Cable expressed arsenic overmuch to Raiders caput manager Jon Gruden erstwhile the anticipation of dealing Hudson was discussed.

“You don’t determination connected from a feline similar Rodney unless you cognize that you’ve got thing successful spot already,” Cable said. “If you’ve got to spell get it, whether that beryllium escaped bureau oregon the draft, I deliberation you’re leaving yourself unfastened for failure.”

The Leatherwood enactment was years successful the making, with Cable spotting him on the Alabama violative enactment 3 years agone and past keeping an oculus connected him passim the remainder of his career.

The deeper Cable dug into Leatherwood, the much convinced helium was that helium was precisely what the Raiders needed to regenerate Brown, who played conscionable 16 of 32 imaginable games during his 2 seasons with the Raiders and frustrated the coaching unit passim the 2020 play by completing conscionable 4 of the 5 starts helium was capable to make.

“What we were looking for was a feline that would play each down astatine close tackle for america and beryllium disposable each the time,” Cable said. “Someone who was truly highly, highly competitive. Where helium came from, and that program, that’s benignant of a mode of beingness for those kids.”

It’s acold excessively aboriginal to marque a definitive telephone connected Leatherwood, but helium has impressed everybody successful the gathering with his professionalism and diligence. All of which affirm Cable’s archetypal impressions.

“I wanted idiosyncratic that would beryllium present each day. That you tin number on. That loved the crippled similar the remainder of them do,” Cable said.

In turn, Leatherwood has made a fewer different affirmative impressions.

“Sometimes helium tin beryllium adjacent a small spot nerdy, which is chill for an O-linemen,” Cable said. “I don’t person to interest astir him raising hellhole oregon doing this oregon doing that. He’s a beauteous focused guy. That went into selecting him.

“This was a feline that truly cared astir football. Extreme competitor. I deliberation that was astir apt my fig 1 diagnostic that I loved astir him. That helium loved to play. And that helium loves to beryllium great. As helium fails, helium learns. And that’s the truly chill part.”

Leatherwood has acceptable close successful astatine close tackle, and James appears to person seized his relation arsenic the starting center. There is plentifulness of familiarity astatine the different 3 spots, wherever near tackle Kolton Miller, near defender Richie Incognito and close defender Denzelle Good person each established themselves arsenic reliable players.

It’s made for a comfy rebuild frankincense far.

“Probably exceeding what we were hoping for this aboriginal successful camp,” Cable said.

The existent trial comes implicit the adjacent fewer months. Most notably astatine the commencement of the play erstwhile the Raiders look notoriously carnal defenses against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

“September is truly going to beryllium a situation for them,” Cable said. “But I similar that. And I deliberation they’re looking guardant to it.” Contact Vincent Bonsignore astatine vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore connected Twitter.