When the Las Vegas Raiders signed offensive lineman Andrus Peat in free agency, it wasn't clear exactly what their plans were for him. Some believed he could compete for the right tackle job, which remains the team's biggest question mark upfront.
Peat has displayed impressive versatility during his career, starting games at left guard, where he received three Pro Bowl nods, and at left tackle, where he started during the 2023 campaign. Peat also has 78 career snaps at right tackle.
After the first day of rookie minicamp, head coach Antonio Pierce revealed exactly what the plans are for Peat, saying the veteran will work at guard and be the backup to left tackle Kolton Miller, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
As far as right tackle is concerned, Pierce said the job is Thayer Munford's "for the taking."
The Raiders will have to give their QB some time to throw, and many thought the recent signing of former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowler Andrus Peat meant he might compete with Thayer Munford Jr. for the starting right tackle job. That would be incorrect. Pierce said Peat will work at guard and back up left tackle Kolton Miller.
“He’s got a little chip on his shoulder, right?” Pierce said of the former seventh-round pick. “I’m sure he reads the outside news, but he has looked really good. The thing about Thayer that’s special is he can play left tackle; he can play right tackle. We even lined him up at tight end at times last year.
“It’s Year 3, and he understands this is a great opportunity for him to really just say, ‘I’m your guy.’”
The expectation is that rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham will man the guard spots in 2024, so Peat is unlikely to start at either of those spots.
While Peat isn't the same lineman he once was in terms of being a starter, he offers an elite depth piece for the Raiders just in case things go wrong upfront for any reason.