As the offseason wore on, the best configuration for the Las Vegas Raiders' starting offensive line seemed obvious. Then, as training camp started, things were turned on their proverbial head. Assumed starting center Jackson Powers-Johnson was shockingly playing with the second team.
In his stead, guard Jordan Meredith was seeing the first-team snaps at center. As camp progressed, projected starting right guard Alex Cappa missed time due to injury, so Powers-Johnson shifted over to right guard with the starters while Meredith remained at center.
A few days after the preseason opener, head coach Pete Carroll fueled concern when he said that the team may take the first few weeks of the regular season to settle on a group. Since then, thankfully, the Raiders' starting offensive line has declared itself, and Powers-Johnson will start at right guard.
Training camp decision Raiders need to have nailed has been spotlighted
Digging beyond the low-hanging fruit of quarterbacks and rookies, ESPN's Ben Solak has honed in on the biggest X-factor for each NFL team heading into the 2025 season. With that criterion, the biggest X-factor for the Raiders is obviously Meredith, who will start at center for the first time.
"The Raiders plan to start Meredith at center. He has never made a regular-season snap at center in college or in the pros. They have 2024 second-rounder Jackson Powers-Johnson, a college center at Oregon, on the roster. But Powers-Johnson is playing right guard. I don't know exactly what they're cooking. Stylistically, Powers-Johnson is a bulky and boxy lineman, whereas Meredith moves a little easier," Solak wrote. "I'm assuming offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has a vision for which body types work in which position in his running game and has sculpted his offensive line accordingly. But still, there's a guy snapping who hasn't snapped before! That's a big deal. If Meredith and Powers-Johnson settle into their respective roles, the Raiders can have a solid line. If there are hiccups in pass protection or snap delivery that lead to a midseason shuffling, the shifting continuity could spell problems across a unit that needs time to jell."
When he was able to play center as a rookie last season, Powers-Johnson fared particularly well. Meanwhile, over eight starts split between both guard spots, Meredith was Pro Football Focus' fifth-highest graded guard last season.
RELATED: Jerry Jones’ blunder just opened the door for Raiders' dream move
One of Powers-Johnson's calling cards coming out of Oregon was his ability to play all three interior line spots, so he'll probably be fine at right guard.
But if Meredith noticeably struggles at center, with his first snaps there in recent memory coming this preseason, the decision to put him there and keep him there will look bad.
Carroll and his coaching staff deserve trust, but the realignment of the interior offensive line during training camp is a move they need to have gotten right. The spotlight is on Meredith to prove it so.