Cast-off gets 1st shot at replacing Kolton Miller at left tackle

Disaster struck Sunday when the Raiders’ best offensive lineman, left tackle Kolton Miller, left the Bears’ game with an ankle injury.

Miller was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a right high ankle sprain and a hairline fracture in the ankle and will miss at least four games.

His replacement, at least for Sunday’s game at Indianapolis, is veteran Stone Forsythe, who was claimed off waivers from the Giants at the end of training camp.

The former Florida standout has a history with Raiders coach Pete Carroll, who drafted Forsythe in the sixth round in 2021 when he was the Seahawks’ coach. Forsythe played three years under Carroll and appeared in 44 games, including nine starts.

The familiarity was a big reason the Raiders opted for Forsythe as their swing tackle rather than Thayer Munford, who was cut the same day Forsythe was added.

“We were with him right from the beginning and loved the kid and the work ethic, the smarts, his mentality is just right,” Carroll said Wednesday. “We’re confident that he can do the job. That’s why we went after him.”

Forsythe said he is up to the challenge of replacing Miller, a first-round pick in 2018.

“It’s definitely a big role to fill, but I put myself in this situation,” Forsythe said. “Pressure is a privilege, so I just look at it as an opportunity, I just kind of step up and fill his role.”

Big loss

By no means is it an ideal situation. Miller protects quarterback Geno Smith’s blindside and is ranked No. 4 among offensive tackles in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

It’s foolish to think the Raiders can simply replace him without feeling some sort of negative effect, especially against a Colts defensive line that ranks eighth against the run and has accumulated 10 sacks and 29 quarterback pressures.

For all of Forsythe’s familiarity with Carroll and this offense, there is a reason he was available on waivers. In 610 pass snaps in 2023 and 2024, he gave up seven sacks, 12 quarterback hits, 49 hurries and 67 pressures.

The Giants signed Forsythe in the offseason, hoping he could compete for a job. But he did not capitalize on the opportunity.

Carroll is not deterred.

“He’s ready to go and excited about it and looks forward to it,” he said. “And I have no problem with him playing. I’ve played with him before.”

Forsythe said the similarities between the Raiders’ offense and the Seahawks’ offense under Carroll have helped his transition.

“I’ve kind of been in the system for three years with Pete up in Seattle, so everything’s kind of almost the same,” Forsythe said.

Rookie could play role

The role of rookie Charles Grant will expand as long as Miller is out. At the least, the third-round pick from William & Mary will replace Forsythe as the swing tackle, meaning he’s one snap from replacing Forsythe or right tackle DJ Glaze should either get hurt.

Grant also could be pressed into a starting role depending on how Forsythe performs. If he posts pass-blocking numbers like he did the last two years in Seattle, he becomes a liability protecting Smith.

In a perfect world, Grant and fellow rookie offensive lineman Caleb Rogers wouldn’t see the field until they are fully developed, Carroll said. But this is the NFL.

“He’s working like crazy with a real concern for (having to play right now),” Carroll said of Grant.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.