The Raiders begin life without wide receiver Jakobi Meyers on Thursday against the Broncos. The team honored Meyers’ longstanding trade request by sending him to the Jaguars on Tuesday for a fourth- and sixth-round pick.

The Raiders (2-6), with the trade deadline behind them, will try to keep their eye on the future while still preparing for their nine remaining games.

Fans have questions about what comes next. Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:

Matt Berger (@matt_berger): What’s it going to take to get this offensive line functioning the way it should? Is it a scheme issue? Is it talent? Is it coaching? A bit of all three?

Vincent Bonsignore: There’s no doubt the offensive line has room to improve. The Raiders average the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL (89.1), while their 21 sacks allowed are tied for the 12th-most.

Getting left tackle Kolton Miller back from the ankle injury he suffered Week 4 would help.

Overall, this group needs to be more consistent. Right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, a 2024 second-round pick, has been brilliant at times and struggled at others. He remains a work in progress, but is a potential building block. Jordan Meredith has had his ups and downs in his first year at center, while 2024 third-round pick DJ Glaze still has work to do at right tackle.

Continuity could help as well. Chip Kelly is the team’s fifth offensive coordinator — including those with interim tags — in the last three seasons.

The Raiders hope this group can develop with more experience and more reps together. The team is also high on rookie third-round picks Caleb Rogers and Charles Grant, though it doesn’t want to rush them onto the field.

Dan O’Neil (@CLC4eva): Any word on Kolton Miller?

Bonsignore: Miller may not be ready to return to practice for another week or two. The Raiders want to be cautious with one of their best players.

Miller, 30, remains a key part of the team’s present and future. He signed a three-year contract extension during training camp.

Mark Holmlund (@MarkHolmlund): Does Chip Kelly’s offense agree with Geno Smith, or is he struggling in a scheme that doesn’t maximize his skill set?

Bonsignore: Smith has shown he can perform in this system.

He was excellent in the Raiders’ Week 1 win over the Patriots. He also marched his team up and down the field in the fourth quarter and overtime of its 30-29 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday.

It’s no coincidence both those games included a healthy Brock Bowers.

Smith, 35, needs to show he can hit those heights consistently. He’s been a disappointment this season with 11 interceptions, tied for the most in the NFL. The Raiders are scoring 16.5 points per game, the fourth-fewest in the league.

That wasn’t the production the team had in mind when it traded for Smith in March and handed him a contract extension.

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