DJ Glaze looks to level up in Kubiak's offense

Jun 02, 2026 at 10:15 AM

Raiders Columnist

DJ Glaze is a gamer.

In more ways than one.

The Raiders right tackle has started 31 of 34 career games since entering the NFL as a third-round draft pick out of Maryland and, after two weeks of OTAs, seemingly has a grip on maintaining his gig.

Yes, it's early, especially with a new coaching staff in place. But, having started all 17 games last season, Glaze is at Gamer Status, right?

Hear me out…

Off the field, Glaze has invested in the tech world of, well, gaming. He's gone all in with a gaming chair to pair with his PC, XBOX, PlayStation and dual monitors.

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Gamer Status, indeed.

"I just chill out there some days after practice and hop on the game, watch YouTube and whatnot, so yeah, that's my little setup, that's where I go after practice," Glaze told me on the most recent episode of Upon Further Review.

"I've been playing since I was younger. It's always been something I've done, something that was fun. It's cool … on the weekends or after practice, just get away for a little bit and just kind of take your mind off things, play the game. Just something that's fun and relaxing, you don't have to worry about anything. So I think it's huge. It's kind of a way to relax and, like I said, just get your mind off things and I feel like everybody has something like that, and should have something like that."

With the NFL essentially a 24/7/365 endeavor sans an offseason, it is tough to totally unplug. Which is why Glaze's favorite games are Call of Duty, Fortnite, WWE and, yes, Madden.

"It's like a fun way to still play football," Glaze laughed, "but not have to think so much about it."

And this is where his Gamer Statuses meld.

Because as I read him his Madden scores - 72 overall, speed 65, strength 88, agility 56, awareness 76 - Glaze's smile melted away.

The Raiders offensive line, after all, was ranked 32nd in the 32-team NFL last season by Pro Football Focus. Raiders quarterbacks were sacked a league-high 64 times while the Raiders had the lowest-ranked rushing attack in the league.

Those are real stats and ratings from the field, mind you, not a concoction of some video game programmer in his mother's basement.

"Me playing Madden, it's definitely something I want [those numbers] up, but at the end of the day, it's a game," Glaze said. "It's just a number. It doesn't really matter. We kind of know what we've got to do in the building - we've got to build off last year.

"I guess those numbers are based off last year - it wasn't, it wasn't really great - so we've got to build off that and, hopefully, we get everybody in the building [in the] 90s, 80s and up. So that's kind of how that is. But it was just a game number and we're kind of focused on doing things on the real field."

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Enter a new head coach with a new offensive scheme in Klint Kubiak, a new offensive coordinator to help carry out his vision in Andrew Janocko and a veteran offensive line coach with four Super Bowl rings in Rick Dennison.

Yes, adjustments had to be made on the O-line and while a complete overhaul in personnel was not carried out this spring, there is a new vibe. Kubiak himself gave the sense he actually liked what was in the O-line room during his first month-plus on the job.

Kubiak said in February there was "stability" at both offensive tackle spots, referencing vet left tackle Kolton Miller and Glaze.

A month later at the League Meetings, Kubiak was asked specifically about Glaze, and what he needed to do to elevate his game.

"Well, probably like everybody, especially on the offense, is just buy into this new system and just get familiar with it so that they can go play fast on Sunday," Kubiak said. "And that's our job as coaches.

"I think DJ is a really good young player."

Quick, name the last Raiders right tackle named first-team All-Pro.

Glaze has a long way to go to meet Lincoln Kennedy, circa 2002, but being a survivor on this reimagined offensive line with center Tyler Linderbaum and left guard Spencer Burford joining right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, Miller and Glaze has to count for something.

Yeah, in OTAs, it counts for a lot.

"Everybody's just been buying in," Glaze said. "It's been super cool to be able to go out there and do that and learn with them. … It's a new experience, so we're all going through it together but, you know, we just see that we're getting better each day, and that's really all you can ask for in these times."

Glaze described the blocking scheme as versatile.

"We can do anything," he said. "We want to keep the defense guessing. We don't want to show them that we're going to do [just] one thing. We're going to come out there, we can hit them with anything we really want to, keep them on their toes…that's kind of how we go about it, just being able to be well-versed in all things."

Then how would Glaze describe his personal game and growth?

"Evolving each day," he said. "You know, I've had some ups and downs, of course, but I would just say really consistent and that's really all you can ask for. Coaches look for that. They look for somebody who can be consistent.

"So I try my best to be available, be out there, be a voice for the O-line each week and just be consistent, man. That's where it all starts. There's going to be mistakes, we all know that, but can you clean them up and can you be ready to be available for the next game?"

Game on.

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Las Vegas Raiders tackle Dalton Wagner (78) at an Organized Team Activity (OTA) at Intermountain Health Performance Center.