Raiders: 5 players who could make the Pro Bowl this season
By Justin Fried
3. Anyone on the offensive line
The Raiders took a major gamble last season when they opted to open the season with two rookies starting at offensive tackle. First-round pick Kolton Miller and third-round project Brandon Parker were given the unenviable task of starting the majority of their rookie seasons.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go very well.
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But the Raiders made a concerted effort to beef up the offensive line going into 2019 and combined with a renewed bill of health, we’ve seen a resurgence from the big men up front this year.
Miller has taken a huge step forward in his sophomore NFL season now that he’s fully healthy which has been a huge boost to the line. Meanwhile, Parker has been replaced by prized free-agent signing Trent Brown who has been a massive upgrade.
Richie Incognito has taken over for Kelechi Osemele at left guard and been phenomenal since missing the first two games of the season and Gabe Jackson has come back and been solid since returning from injury.
And Rodney Hudson is still Rodney Hudson — one of the best centers in the NFL.
Really, you could make a case for any of these players to make the Pro Bowl — with the exception of maybe Jackson simply because of his time missed. However, the most likely representative is Hudson.
The 30-year-old veteran is a two-time Pro Bowler and was named an alternate last season. Given the team’s impressive ground game and much-improved pass blocking, Hudson could be well on his way to earning yet another accolade.
But in actuality, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Miller, Brown, and Incognito all named alternates as well.