Offensive line guru gives Raiders RT DJ Glaze lowest grade in NFL

[ASFN Admin]

Last year was rough for the Raiders offensive line. To put it lightly. The entire line struggled mightily. And none moreso than right tackle DJ Glaze. The second-year tackle out of Maryland gave up ten sacks last season while being the only member of the Raiders offensive line to start every game. And in so doing had one of, if not the worst season in the league among offensive linemen.

Noted offensive line guru Brandon Thorn went about laying out numbers ratings for every offensive lineman in the league last season, pouring over 100s of games. And the results he came up with put Glaze with the lowest grade not just among right tackles, but among all offensive linemen.

Glaze was given a number of 51, which was tied for the worst in the league with Dolphins right tackle Austin Jackson.

Glaze played every snap in 2025 inside a subpar Raiders environment, where a lethargic run game and frequent obvious passing situations lowered the floor of the entire offensive line. Glaze was particularly exposed in protection, where below-average movement and redirect skills led to too many glaring losses against higher-end rushers. He's a big-bodied, thick tackle with solid play-strength and flashes of halting power, but erratic pad level and strike-timing expose his chest, sap his leverage and create shaky body control. In the run game, Glaze has the dimensions and raw strength to cover up targets and create displacement in spurts, though his technique remains unrefined. His 2025 tape was mediocre. However, a more stable, offensive line-friendly structure under head coach Klint Kubiak offers some room for improved functionality this fall.

Glaze's worst areas were pass protection, movement, and hand usage all of which came in below 50%. His best area was play strength/anchor coming in at 12/20 (60%).

Thorn correctly notes that it's possible Glaze suffered greatly from the poor coaching in Las Vegas last season. Offensive line coach Brennan Carroll proved to be out of his depth in the job, but seeing as he was the coach's son, he wasn't held to the same account as other coaches such as Chip Kelly who was fired midseason.

The Raiders are in the process right now of seeing if Glaze can perform better with better coaching. If he can't, rookie third round pick Trey Zuhn II could get a shot to see what he can do.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Offensive line guru gives Raiders RT DJ Glaze lowest grade in NFL

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