The Las Vegas Raiders needed no shortage of changes this offseason once Pete Carroll and John Spytek took over. The exception to this, however, was the offensive line, which performed well last year and returned all five starters, keeping the unit in tact.
Immediately upon his arrival, however, Carroll made the bizarre choice to switch things up. Not only did he moved Jordan Meredith from guard, where he thrived, to center, where he had never played, but he moved Jackson Powers-Johnson to right guard and made him compete with Alex Cappa.
Las Vegas' offensive line, as a group, has not performed up to standards during the 2025 NFL season. Raider Nation begged Carroll not to make these changes, and as frustrating as it has been to watch, the fan base feels vindicated that they were right to suggest not fixing what isn't broke.
Raiders need to move Jordan Meredith back to guard
Meredith is an incredibly talented player, and he thrived last year playing both left and right guard. His Pro Football Focus grade of 80.8 made him the 10th-highest rated guard in the NFL, and his 75.7 pass-blocking and 78.4 run-blocking numbers were also considered elite.
However, Meredith has struggled this year at center, and there is no reason to keep him there when Powers-Johnson can do the job. Meredith's 64.1 overall grade and 52.7 pass-blocking score from PFF tell part of the story, but his issues were on full display in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Not only was Meredith penalized twice, making that three infractions in the last three weeks, but he also failed to snap the ball once, leading to a delay of game and a heated conversation with Geno Smith, which was caught on the broadcast.
When looking at his overall numbers this season, it paints a picture of a below-average center who is playing out of position. According to PFF, he has had just one above-average pass-blocking performance this season, compared to two below-average and two horrible showings.
Diving into the rushing numbers provided by PFF provide more evidence to his struggles as well. This season, when running off the center, the Raiders have garnered 201 yards on 44 carries, which averages out to 4.57 yards per rush.
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While this sounds like an incredible number, it should be noted that there is one significant outlier pulling this number up, as Ashton Jeanty ran 64 yards for a touchdown off the center in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears.
It should also be noted that, on this run, Jeanty earned 63 yards after contact, via PFF, and 61 yards over expected, according to NextGen Stats. This was one of the most remarkable rushes of the year, and these caviats make it seem like Meredith did not exactly create a big hole for Jeanty.
Without that outlier, the team has run for just 3.19 yards per carry off the center, as opposed to 4.37 yards per carry when attacking any other hole on the offensive line. Granted, running between the tackles and off the center is harder, but Meredith isn't making life easier for the young running back.
Powers-Johnson has proven that he can be a good center in the NFL, and Meredith has proven that he can be a good guard. Carroll's vision may still need time to pan out, as both players are talented and could certainly thrive in multiple spots.
But the first five weeks of the 2025 season tell Raider Nation what they knew all along, which is that changing Meredith to a center and Powers-Johnson to a guard will not breed more success than the other way around.