The injury bug has taken a big chomp out of the Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line this year, especially in recent weeks. Star left tackle Kolton Miller has been on the Injured Reserve since Week 4, but in Week 10, starting guards Jackson Powers-Johnson and Dylan Parham both went down as well.
Powers-Johnson landed on IR, which was a brutal blow for both him and the team. Parham's status was also in question after head coach Pete Carroll said that he may have suffered a high ankle sprain against the Denver Broncos last Thursday.
While both of these were devastating, they paved the way for third-round rookie guard Caleb Rogers, who has yet to be active for a game during the 2025 NFL season, to finally earn some playing time. On Tuesday, Rogers even referred to himself as the starter, which got Raider Nation excited.
Pete Carroll's promising injury updates complicate things for Raiders' OL even more
But Carroll spoke to JT The Brick on Tuesday evening after the team's practice, and he provided some injury updates for Las Vegas' offensive line. While he did reveal some promising developments, it only raised more questions for the fan base.
"Well, that's a big hit when a guy breaks an ankle like that. (Powers-Johnson is) going to be out six weeks, but fortunately, he's not going to have to deal with surgery, and that kind of issue that can lengthen the comeback. He'll battle his way back," Carroll said. "Dylan Parham, we think he's going to be practicing this week. We'll see when we get back after the day off tomorrow, but we're counting on him coming back. So, it's not as dire as it might have looked."
Again, both of these tidbits are incredible news. Powers-Johnson avoided the need for surgery and has roughly a six-week timetable to return, and Parham, it sounds like, could be back as soon as this week, when the Raiders play the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football.
This begged two questions, though: could Powers-Johnson actually return this season, and is Rogers actually going to start in Week 11? The former question may better be answered down the line, but the latter should probably be addressed sooner. Carroll continued by adding layers to the situation.
"It's going to give a couple (of) guys a chance. We're going to give some young guys a chance to take a shot at the job," Carroll said. "Alex Cappa has been playing for us, so we know he can play, but it does open up opportunities for some guys to get a little bit closer to the battle. So, we'll see how that goes."
By "the job," Carroll is likely referring to the starting right guard position. Powers-Johnson has been forced to constantly compete with Cappa for this job all season long, so it would only be right and fair for Cappa to have to do the same now with Powers-Johnson out.
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But what about the left guard job? If Parham is back, then there should be no job up for the taking, which would oppose what Rogers seemingly leaked during his Tuesday media availability. Perhaps Rogers is in competition with Cappa for the right guard spot, which might even be preferable.
Carroll did talk a bit more about the way practice will work this week and how he plans to divvy up the reps, but it doesn't exactly clear the murky waters about who will be starting on either side of center Jordan Meredith. Perhaps this is Carroll showing off his fluency in coach speak.
"We do know that Alex is a seasoned veteran. He knows what's going on. It's not going to be too big for him. He'll handle it. Yet we have (a) couple (of) young kids coming up that we're really excited to see how they do," Carroll said. "So, the opportunity presents us (with) the chance where Caleb will be going with the ones this week until Dylan gets back. ... So, hopefully, we'll be able to grow with that. It's good for the future. Right now, for Caleb, it's a great opportunity."
Hopefully Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys are just as confused by these comments as Raider Nation is. Clearly, there is a starting guard position up for grabs, given Powers-Johnson's injury, but what about Will Putnam, who has been active every game and filled in during the last two contests?
Some degree of competition is expected when a core starter goes down, and the depth at that position has been shaky, at best. But it seems like there are five guys vying for one, perhaps two spots on the interior offensive line, and only five days to go until the game, which is not ideal.
Perhaps the best way to interpret Carroll's comments is this: Las Vegas is having a battle at the guard position, but Parham will still start at left guard if he's healthy. The winner of the competition will play right guard if Parham plays, or the top two performers will fill both of the guard spots if he can't go.
The most promising thing that Carroll said, however, is the fact that Powers-Johnson might not miss the entire season. Otherwise, it's just another interview where Carroll reiterates the importance of competition without giving Raiders fans any clue as to what will occur during the game.