In the midst of a brutal season plagued by injuries to the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line, forcing constant reshuffling and lineup tweaks, one constant has stood firm: right tackle DJ Glaze. The young lineman hasn’t missed a single snap all year, anchoring the right side through the chaos. But let’s be real—stability doesn’t equal stardom. Glaze’s performance has been far from flawless, with his overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade ranking a dismal 66th out of 81 qualified offensive tackles heading into Week 13. His run-blocking grade? A pitiful 48.8, scraping the bottom-10 at his position.
While the Raiders’ fanbase has directed most of their frustration toward other culprits in the team’s offensive line debacle, Glaze’s struggles have flown somewhat under the radar. That is, until Sunday’s humiliating loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, where his performance might just thrust him into the scorching spotlight of Raider Nation’s ire.
Initial PFF data from the game—still pending final review—painted a grim picture: a 53.1 pass-blocking grade, 56.1 in run-blocking, and an overall 56.3. On 30 pass-blocking snaps, Glaze surrendered four pressures, including two sacks and two hurries, contributing to the five total sacks on Raiders quarterback Geno Smith. Updated numbers later adjusted to 64.3, 57.0, and 61.5 overall—not much of an improvement—and reduced his pressures allowed to one quarterback hit and two hurries, totaling three. Still, not the stuff of legends.
The real battle? Glaze going toe-to-toe with Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack, a future Hall of Famer who’s still terrorizing quarterbacks at 34. Mack racked up 0.5 sacks and two quarterback hits, but his dominance went beyond the stat sheet, bullying Glaze on multiple plays. Raider fans watched in agony as Mack’s bull rushes pushed Glaze back like a ragdoll.
Post-game, via Mike Dixon of Vegas Sports Today, Glaze faced the music at his locker. When pressed about those tough reps against Mack—specifically the bull rushes that left him reeling—Glaze didn’t duck or dodge. He owned it with brutal honesty: “Just bad hands by me,” he admitted. “Like I said, great player(s), probably gonna be a Hall of Famer one day. So you gotta be perfect every time you go against him. When I just let my hands get wide, he got into me.”
But then came the line that hit like a gut punch to already-frustrated fans: “It’s correctable. I know what I did. I’ll be able to correct that.”
Oof. In a season where the Raiders sit at a miserable 2-10, with 10 losses in their last 11 games, “correctable” sounds like just another empty promise. It’s the same tired refrain echoed throughout the organization—from Pete Carroll and Geno Smith at the top of the blame list to others who’ve surfaced along the way. Nothing’s improved in Vegas, and Raider Nation is done with excuses. They crave results, not reassurances.
Sure, facing a beast like Mack is no easy task—even elite tackles get exposed by his blend of power and technique. Glaze nailed it: one tiny slip, like poor hand placement, and you’re toast. But after a year of “correctables” leading nowhere, fans are losing patience. Glaze has earned some grace as a steady presence amid the injuries, but that window is slamming shut.
With Week 14 looming against the Denver Broncos and their NFL-leading pass rush, Glaze better turn those words into action fast. If he doesn’t, he risks joining the long list of scapegoats in this sinking Raiders ship. Is he the long-term answer at right tackle? Time—and performance—will tell. But right now, Raider fans are demanding more than talk. They want wins.