The Raiders may have finally identified their starting left tackle.
Donald Penn, the veteran who has been the starting left tackle in Tampa Bay for the last seven years, is headed to Oakland. Albert Breer of NFL Network reports that the deal got done today, and that the Raiders plan to give Penn the first shot at earning the starting left tackle job.
The Raiders have had a hard time getting the left tackle spot figured out. They allowed their previous starter, Jared Veldheer, to walk away in free agency, and after initially agreeing to terms with Rodger Saffold, the Raiders called that contract off when they said Saffold failed their physical.
Now Penn, who turns 31 next month, is expected to provide some veteran stability to the Raiders’ offensive line. Stability was something Penn provided in Tampa Bay, where he started 108 straight games, and stability is something Oakland desperately needs.