From the start in 2025, the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line was a mess. Head coach Pete Carroll wrongly empowered his offensive line coach son, which led to players being moved to new positions and others left to prove themselves or be scapegoated. Things look brighter on that front this year.
A credible offensive line coach in Rick Dennison is one big change agent, with depth and genuine competition in a way that didn't exist a year ago, being another. As training camp approaches, two starting spots are locked in, with the three others set for open competition to whatever extent.
As long as the best guys for those spots around center Tyler Linderbaum and left tackle Kolton Miller are found, that's all that matters. Nothing should be out of the realm of possibility on Day 1 of training camp. But something tells me that two young players will stand out from the crowd at guard.
Intriguing Las Vegas Raiders OL combination might not stay hidden for long
As part of a three-point plan to fix the Raiders' offense, Moe Moton of Bleacher Report pointed to two spots on the offensive line with proposals for who should start at each.
"Start Jackson Powers-Johnson at left guard
"In three seasons, Powers-Johnson has played center, left guard and right guard. Under former general manager Tom Telesco, the Raiders drafted him to play his natural position at center, but that's no longer a possibility with three-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum on the roster.
"Given that Spencer Burford has more experience at right guard than at left guard and rookie Trey Zuhn III is transitioning from left tackle to guard, Powers-Johnson seems like the best option at left guard. Yet the 2024 second-rounder has taken reps at right guard (h/t The Athletic's Sam Warren), where he played last season."
Powers-Johnson has practically been pre-ordained to be the Raiders' starting right guard opposite Spencer Burford. But he started eight games at left guard as a rookie in 2024, so the position is not foreign to him at the NFL level, and he can certainly be effective there.
So who would be the starter at right guard, per Moton's plan?
"Start Caleb Rogers at right guard
"As a rookie last season, Rogers put together solid outings at right guard in a small sample size. During the spring, he filled in for Powers-Johnson at that position, according to Warren.
"If Kubiak isn't beholden to starting a familiar face in Burford, who played under him in San Francisco, the Raiders could get Powers-Johnson and Rogers on the field simultaneously. The former fared well at left guard in his rookie year, and the latter has intriguing upside at the same position on the opposite side."
Once he finally got a chance to play as a rookie, driven by Powers-Johnson's season-ending injury, Rogers' six starts at right guard to end the season were an expected mix of good and bad. But the potential is there in spades, and opportunity is knocking for him to win a starting job during camp.
When the pads come on during training camp, the cream will rise to the top in the battle for open starting spots on the Raiders' offensive line. And Powers-Johnson and Rogers being on the left and right of Linderbaum is definitely possible when it's all said and done.
It may not take very long for that to reveal itself as the best possible guard combination in Las Vegas, as these two youngsters are talented, have shown promise, and are entering this portion of the offseason with something to prove.
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