T DJ Fluker, Raiders Under Contract
The offensive tackle position might be a point of emphasis for the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. With team captain, Kolton Miller, missing four games with the first serious injury of his career this past season and offensive tackles Jermaine Eluemunor and Brandon Parker being free agents, it could end up being very critical that Las Vegas develops a future plan for that position group. This means that Raiders veteran offensive tackle DJ Fluker’s role could expand as well. Fluker, who was signed to the practice squad in December, has not played in an NFL game since 2020, but there’s reason to believe a comeback could be in his future.
The 32-year-old lineman was drafted by the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Raiders General Manager Tom Telesco’s first year as the Chargers’ GM. Fluker made 59 starts during his four years in San Diego.
While it’s been over 10 years since Telesco and the Chargers’ organization first drafted Fluker, Telesco does know the veteran’s capabilities as well as anyone. Should Fluker prove he still has what it takes to have an impact in this league, there could very well be a spot for him on the roster at the end of training camp. Then again, that still depends on what the offensive tackle room looks like by that time. Fluker was one of the first 15 players to be signed by the Raiders to reserve/future contracts earlier this month. He is currently on a one-year contract worth $1,210,000. Fluker’s last active season was in 2020-21 when he made eight starts in 16 appearances for the Baltimore Ravens. In between that season and his time with the Chargers, he had a one-year stint with the New York Giants and a two-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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Silver Minings: Both Raiders head coaches were not aggressive on 4th down
Las Vegas was least aggressive in the NFL in 2023
Fans want their offenses to be aggressive … until it doesn’t work, of course.
Under two different head coaches in 2023, however, the Las Vegas Raiders were the least aggressive team on fourth down in the NFL. According to a recent study by longtime NFL analyst Aaron Schatz, Antonio Pierce was the least aggressive coach in the NFL during his nine-game interim tenure. Josh McDaniels was the second least aggressive in his eight games before being fired.
While that type of things fire up fans, it doesn’t always pay to be aggressive. Of the 14 playoff teams, only six of the head coaches were among the top 14 most aggressive. Three of the top 12 aggressive coaches were fired.
Conversely, five of the least 14 aggressive coaches on forth down made the playoffs and three of the 14 least aggressive were fired.
So, it shows there is a time and place for being aggressive and it’s something Pierce and his staff will need to consider heading into his first full season as the Raiders’ coach.
