Raiders depth chart raises alarms over experience as 2025 season nears

The margin for error at quarterback is slim

The Raiders depth chart for 2025 tells a clear story: if everyone stays healthy, the starting offense can move the ball. If not, things get dicey fast. Geno Smith holds the keys at quarterback and looks entrenched as QB1. He’s the steady presence this roster needs—calm in structure, experienced against pressure, and comfortable distributing to tight ends and backs. But the safety net behind him is thinner than the team would like.

Aidan O’Connell was supposed to solidify the No. 2 job this summer. Instead, an uneven camp and a right wrist injury in the preseason finale have thrown his status into doubt. Coach Pete Carroll didn’t hide his concern, saying the offense “is not as fast when O’Connell is under center,” a blunt read on timing and tempo. Cam Miller brings dual-threat juice but is not yet a legitimate “win-a-month” option. If Smith were to miss time, the staff would likely shrink the playbook, lean on quick-game concepts, and feature tight ends to keep the chains moving.

There are ways to patch this in the short term. The Raiders can scour the waiver wire after final cuts, where veteran backups often shake loose, or carry an extra arm on the practice squad and elevate him on game weeks. None of those solutions replaces real in-game experience, but they can buy time. The calculus is simple: stability at QB makes this offense viable; one injury puts the plan under stress.

Up front, depth is the red flag

The starting offensive line is set, but the drop-off behind those five is steep. Kolton Miller anchors left tackle, and Dylan Parham is penciled in at right guard. Jordan Meredith currently holds left guard, with Jackson Powers-Johnson at center and DJ Glaze at right tackle. The backups tell the rest of the story: at guard, Caleb Rogers and Atonio Mafi lack NFL starts; at center, Will Putnam and Jarrod Hufford are green; at right tackle, Thayer Munford Jr., Dalton Wagner, and Parker Clements haven’t locked down reliable swing roles. That’s a lot of hope riding on development and a clean bill of health.

Right tackle is the pressure point. If Glaze settles in, the line can function. If not, protection plans get complicated. The staff can chip with tight ends, slide protections, or call more play-action to slow the pass rush, but those are short-term bandages. The AFC West punishes uncertainty on the edges. You don’t want to face a divisional slate with musical chairs at tackle and communication hiccups in blitz pickup.

Powers-Johnson at center is intriguing. He plays with pop and projects as a tone-setter, but young centers juggle a lot—IDs, snap timing, and protection checks. When the second unit rotates in, those calls must remain clean. That’s where the experience gap shows up first: free rushers in the A-gap, late slides, and penalties that stall drives.

The pass-catching group is built to help, at least at the top. Tre Tucker can stretch the field and stress safeties. Jack Bech adds a big body over the middle, while Jakobi Meyers is the dependable chain mover who finds soft spots in zone. Behind them, though, the depth is untested. Ketron Jackson Jr., Shedrick Jackson, and Alex Bachman bring energy and special teams value, but none has proven he can handle 50-plus snaps against top corners. If injuries hit, expect the staff to tilt toward tighter formations, heavier personnel, and motion to free releases off the line.

Tight end is the strength of the roster. Brock Bowers demands attention on every snap—motion, jet looks, screens, seam shots—and he changes coverage shells before the ball is even snapped. Michael Mayer gives the Raiders a true 12-personnel advantage: two tight ends who can block and win routes. That combo can cover for protection issues at right tackle, create defined throws for Smith in the short-to-intermediate range, and keep the offense on schedule. Ian Thomas and Justin Shorter offer depth, but the drop in experience and versatility is obvious if either Bowers or Mayer misses time.

Running back looks steadier. Ashton Jeanty is the projected starter and brings one-cut decisiveness with enough burst to threaten the second level. Raheem Mostert knows how to get yards out of nothing and can help in pass pro. Sincere McCormick adds a changeup. If the line holds, this group can keep the offense on schedule and set up shot plays. If the line wobbles, backs will spend more time scanning for blitzers than releasing into routes, and the whole thing tightens.

So what now? The roster cut-down window forces choices. The Raiders can claim a veteran swing tackle, add an interior lineman who’s logged starts, and bring in a quarterback with live-game reps. Those moves cost roster spots and cap flexibility, but they reduce variance in the most punishing division in football. Front offices win on the margins in late August—snagging a stabilizer who saves two drives a game matters in November.

The schedule won’t wait. Divisional pass rushers will test the edges and the communication at center. Expect opponents to heat up the right side on third-and-long until the Raiders prove they can pick it up. Expect press on the outside until depth receivers win on time. And expect defensive coordinators to squeeze Bowers with bracketing looks on key downs, daring the ball to go elsewhere.

There’s a best-case path. Smith stays upright, the line gels by Week 3, and the tight-end-heavy attack becomes the identity: play-action, RPOs, motion, and daylight throws to Bowers and Mayer on early downs. Tucker hits a few deep shots, Meyers converts third-and-6, and Jeanty plus Mostert keep the defense honest. If that happens, the offense can carry its weight while the defense—hurt by offseason losses—finds its next gear.

There’s also the other path. One injury at tackle forces rotation, penalties creep in, and the quick game turns predictable. The backup quarterback question lingers, and the red-zone package shrinks without consistent protection. When opponents know you have to chip and slide, they attack the weak link.

This is the decision in front of the Raiders as the deadline closes: trust internal development and risk growing pains, or buy stability with claims and short-term deals. Neither route is free. The first gambles on time and health; the second costs picks, money, and reps for young players. If the goal is to be in the mix in December, the safer bet is to add at least two proven linemen and a quarterback who can run the offense for two weeks without drama.

The top line is encouraging. The layers beneath it decide seasons. The Raiders have a week to turn a fragile depth picture into something sturdier.