The Las Vegas Raiders were a bad football team in 2024, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Surprisingly, the offensive line held up quite well, as the unit graded well overall and several individual players earned elite marks for their performances.
In an offseason where change ran rampant in Las Vegas under Pete Carroll and John Spytek, the starting offensive line was untouched. The new regime did bring in veteran guard Alex Cappa, however, who Raider Nation is worried will start at guard over Dylan Parham or Jordan Meredith.
Fans felt that Jackson Powers-Johnson was locked into the starting center role as well, so this meant only one of Parham or Meredith could start at left guard opposite Cappa and alongside Kolton Miller. However, things have taken an interesting turn at training camp.
Jackson Powers-Johnson running with Raiders' second-team at training camp
Last week, The Athletic's Tashan Reed reported that Meredith was getting a lot of reps at center with the first team, working with Geno Smith. This did not stand out as odd because Carroll and the staff are constantly moving the pieces around, as Aidan O'Connell and Smith split reps one day last week.
On Sunday, however, the trend continued. Reed followed up by reporting that Meredith was working with the starters once again, and Powers-Johnson had been working with the second team. This is still a feeling-out period for the new staff, but not starting the second-year player would be a mistake.
Many are on board with the idea of Powers-Johnson at center and the guards being Parham and Meredith. Cappa is past the prime of his career, and while he still may be able to provide some value for the Raiders, this defies Carroll's expressed desire to play young players.
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Powers-Johnson was an All-Rookie player last year, and Meredith had the tenth-highest grade among guards from Pro Football Focus in 2024. By comparison, Cappa ranked 111th out of 136 qualifying guards with a 50.5 overall grade.
While the fan base wanted the offensive line configuration to change, this is not what they had in mind. Plenty of people felt that Powers-Johnson was going to be the team's best center since Rodney Hudson, and it would be a shame to see him not get that chance.
In all reality, Carroll is likely just keeping players on their toes or preparing Smith and Co. if something happens to Powers-Johnson, and vice versa for O'Connell. However, if things continue to trend this way, it would be a shame to see Powers-Johnson or Meredith not in the starting lineup.