It has been a rocky few years in the Las Vegas Raiders' organization, to say the least. With instability at quarterback, head coach and general manager, arguably the NFL's three most important posts, the Silver and Black have been through it. This has made it challenging for countless young players.
Guard Jackson Powers-Johnson has felt the brunt of this dysfunction, as different coaches have asked vastly dissimilar things of him. The Pete Carroll regime wasn't a fan of his for whatever reason, and on a personal level, injuries have also piled up and kept him out for long stretches.
Simply put, Powers-Johnson has been a bit snakebit during his time in Las Vegas, which has hindered his overall development. This has led some to believe that he'll get buried on the depth chart under Klint Kubiak or even traded before Year 3 of his rookie deal.
But John Spytek stepped in before training camp to voice his support for Powers-Johnson and let the fanbase know that he's not going to give up on the young player.
John Spytek backs young and unlucky Raiders G Jackson Powers-Johnson
Spytek spoke with Raider Nation Radio ahead of the team's first late-summer workout session, and when asked what he hopes to see from Powers-Johnson this season, the Raiders' second-year general manager took things in a number of directions, but clearly had the youngster's back.
"He's going to get a chance to compete at that right guard spot. We want [him] to attack that at full speed. And he has a great chance to earn that starting job," Spytek said. "He's going to have to go earn it. And I mean, you said it, you got to be on the field to play and to earn a starting job. ... Sometimes, you catch tough breaks, and you got a real injury. But it's all out in front of Jackson. He has all the ability in the world, and I know he wants it, and he worked really hard this summer to put himself in a great spot. He's coming in in great shape, and I expect him to go out there and give his best and utilize the talent he has and the love of the game that he has. And he's got a great chance to be a big-time player for us on that offensive line this year."
If you've ever listened to Spytek speak before, that is about as concrete an answer as you're going to get. While he'll talk about personnel, Spytek doesn't get into the nitty-gritty of playing time or roles because he leaves that up to the coaching staff. It's not his decision.
The fact that he speaks so highly of Powers-Johnson should mean a great deal to Raider Nation, though. One of the big arguments for the young player potentially getting moved if he doesn't carve out a role is that Spytek didn't draft him; Tom Telesco did. But Spytek seems to be a big fan of his, too.
Before Spytek arrived, Powers-Johnson was stuck with Antonio Pierce, who had too many cooks in the kitchen and hadn't figured it out yet. Powers-Johnson was a star center in college, and yet the coaching staff played him at guard, even for a bit when the starting center went down with an injury.
After finally getting his chance, though, Powers-Johnson played well at center. But that wasn't enough to convince Carroll or Chip Kelly, who stuck him back at guard and yanked him around all year long, with no explanation. He later suffered an injury and missed the last part of the 2025 season.
Now with another fresh start, Powers-Johnson is finally looking to become the stalwart on the interior that Raider Nation hoped he'd be when he was drafted. He'll officially be at guard with the addition of Tyler Linderbaum, and perhaps that finality will give him some clarity and a singular focus.
Every report from the offseason program and training camp thus far has indicated that Powers-Johnson is the starting right guard opposite Spencer Burford. Now, Kubiak is going to make him earn it, but Powers-Johnson has clearly got the upper hand in the early going.
Caleb Rogers, Trey Zuhn III and Jordan Meredith won't make it easy on him, but if he can just stay healthy, then, as Spytek said, Powers-Johnson has all the ability in the world. And perhaps even more than that, he's got a big supporter and believer sitting in the general manager chair.
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