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Former Raiders Guard Thriving with Jets as Las Vegas Offensive Line Struggles
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- Former Raiders Guard Thriving with Jets as Las Vegas Offensive Line Struggles
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The Las Vegas Raiders have spent much of this season trying to find the right combination along their offensive line.
Meanwhile, one of their former starters has been making a strong impression with his new team.
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Guard Dylan Parham, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Las Vegas before signing with the New York Jets in March, has earned some of the league's highest offensive line grades when healthy this season.
According to Raiders Beat , Parham received an 88.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus across 179 offensive snaps in his first three games with New York.
That includes a 92.9 run-blocking grade and a 75.9 pass-blocking grade.
Parham was the NFL's highest-graded guard in September, according to the report.
Those numbers are particularly noteworthy given the Raiders' continuing struggles to establish consistency at guard.
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Parham was selected by Las Vegas in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, becoming the first player drafted by the organization under former general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels.
He went on to start 63 games over four seasons with the Raiders, providing experience and versatility along the interior offensive line.
But after playing under multiple coaching staffs, Parham departed in free agency and signed a two-year, $16 million contract with New York.
His replacement has not been easy to identify.
The Raiders have continued evaluating their options at guard, including Jackson Powers-Johnson, Spencer Burford and Caleb Rogers.
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Coach Klint Kubiak recently discussed the ongoing competition between Powers-Johnson and Rogers , with the coaching staff looking for greater consistency from the group.
Those concerns have become more significant during the Raiders' four-game losing streak.
Las Vegas managed only 48 rushing yards in Sunday's 35-21 loss to the Los Angeles Rams , another frustrating performance for an offense that has struggled to establish its running game.
Parham's early success in New York provides an interesting contrast, although his impressive grades come with an important qualification.
The 27-year-old suffered a knee injury during the Jets' September 27 loss to the Detroit Lions and has not played since.
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He returned to limited practice last Wednesday, according to the Jets' official website , but remained inactive for Sunday's game against Miami.
Former Raiders lineman Jordan Meredith has started in his place, giving New York another familiar face along its offensive line.
The situation creates an intriguing storyline heading into Sunday's matchup between the Raiders and Jets.
Las Vegas will travel to New York looking to end its four-game losing streak, while Parham could have an opportunity to face the franchise that drafted him.
Whether he returns this week remains uncertain.
But his performance before the injury has already shown why his departure could become another difficult personnel decision for the Raiders to evaluate.
With Las Vegas still searching for answers up front, the early success of a former starter offers a reminder of what the organization once had on its roster.
