Jared Veldheer’s loss hurts the Raiders on several levels. The offensive line must shuffle and adjust without its star left tackle. Not only does it deplete the Raiders depth, it constricts plays Greg Olson can call.
“I think it changes how we’re going to use everybody, to be honest with you,” Olson said. “It’ll impact how we use Darren McFadden, it’ll impact how we use Marcel Reece. You don’t lose a player like that and think that you’re not going to have to change some things or do some things differently.”
Although stats don’t show it, Veldheer was a major component of this offense. He’s a perfect fit for the power, gap-creation blocking scheme and bought precious seconds for passes downfield.
Without an adequate replacement on the roster, Olson is left to wonder whether some aspects of his scheme still work.
We have moved Darren McFadden down to reflect the loss of Veldheer but he should return in a few weeks and be able to play through the injury.
