Breno

Giacomini

This is a good sign for the Raiders. Coach Jon Gruden initially deemed Giacomini the favorite to start at right tackle, but Donald Penn agreed to move there, rendering Giacomini expendable. Giacomini was the worst starting offensive tackle in football last season, getting absolutely annihilated in pass protection.

Giacomini was an absolute disaster as the Texans’ right tackle last season, but it sounds like he will be first up as the Raiders look for options to replace Marshall Newhouse. Vadal Alexander and 2017 fourth-rounder David Sharpe should also get a look.

Giacomini, 32, was abysmal as the Texans’ starting right tackle last year, grading out 83rd among 83 qualified tackles at Pro Football Focus and allowing nine sacks, second most in the NFL. PFF charged Giacomini with 64 QB hurries allowed, most in the league by any offensive lineman by a margin of 15 hurries. The Raiders continue to make head-scratching moves on new coach Jon Gruden’s watch.

Seattle’s 2011 first-round pick went down with the injury in mid-November. He’s almost certain to start the 2012 season on PUP after struggling in his comeback. Carpenter’s 2011 replacement, Breno Giacomini, returns as the favorite to hold down right tackle, but will face competition from veteran journeymen Paul McQuistan and Frank Omiyale.

The coaching staff was satisfied with Breno Giacomini’s work at right tackle late in the season, and they could add depth via the draft or free agency. Carpenter struggled in pass protection as a rookie, but he has the size and demeanor to fit in as a road-grader at guard.

“That would be overly optimistic I think,” Schneider said. “I would probably personally guard against it.” Carpenter is not known to have encountered a setback, but the Seahawks won’t rush him back after Breno Giacomini held his own at right tackle down the stretch.

It’s a brutal blow to Marshawn Lynch and the entire Seahawks’ offense. Things were already looking down after they lost starting RG John Moffitt (knee) for the season earlier this week, but the loss of Carpenter, the No. 25 overall pick, is going to be tough to overcome. He was the only Seahawks’ offensive player to play on 100 percent of the snaps this season. Look for Breno Giacomini to step in as the right side of his line has suddenly become a major liability.

Giacomini, 26, had been an extreme liability in previous spot appearances before James Carpenter’s ACL injury forced him into the starting lineup down the 2011 stretch. The former Packers draft pick started seven games, holding his own and flashing difference-making potential as a run blocker against the Bears and Cardinals. Giacomini will likely compete with Carpenter to keep the job in camp. At worst, he’ll return as a versatile reserve.

“That knee was bad,” Clayton said. “It hasn’t really had a full time to heal. I think he’s slow in healing. If they get four games out of him they’re lucky.” Carpenter will likely start the season on the PUP list, with Breno Giacomini as the starter. Giacomini more than held his own as a late-season fill-in last year.

The Seahawks drafted Carpenter to play right tackle, but he struggled there as a rookie before tearing the ACL in November. Many draft analysts suspected all along that guard would be Carpenter’s ideal NFL position. “Quite frankly Breno (Giacomini) came in and did a great job” at right tackle last year, explained GM John Schneider.