The Las Vegas Raiders weren't particularly aggressive during free agency ahead of the 2025 NFL season. That's because first-time general manager John Spytek did most of his work before that period began.
Between extending Maxx Crosby on a record-breaking contract and trading for and extending Geno Smith, the Raiders were plenty busy. They also signed free agent guard Alex Cappa during that time on a two-year, $11 million deal that didn't make much sense.
As training camp, the preseason and the regular season dragged on, the move made less and less sense. Las Vegas reshuffled its offensive line and pigeonholed Cappa as a right guard, which meant that he was left to compete with Jackson Powers-Johnson for a starting role.
Alex Cappa has been coming alive at center for Raiders
Through the first few weeks of the campaign, it seemed like Pete Carroll was doing anything he could to throw Cappa in the game for Powers-Johnson. In a way, it made Cappa disliked by the fan base, even though it wasn't his fault that the staff made him compete with a fan favorite.
Things came to a head in Week 11 on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. With Powers-Johnson out and rookie Caleb Rogers inactive, it was obvious that Cappa would start. Except the Raiders moved Will Putnam to center and slid Jordan Meredith to guard instead.
This was a breaking point for Raider Nation, as they simply could not believe that the team spent $11 million on a player who couldn't even start with his main competition out. But after a disastrous showing against Dallas, Las Vegas inserted Cappa into the starting lineup for Weeks 12 and 13.
But they didn't throw Cappa in at guard. No, they started him at center, a position he has no experience playing at either the NFL or college level. Apparently, Cappa had been working at the position behind the scenes, but still, this was dire straits for the Silver and Black.
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Except Cappa has actually fared just fine at center over the last two weeks. He is not setting the world on fire by any stretch of the imagination, but he is starting to show signs of life and, at least, in part, prove to the fan base why he was so coveted by the new regime in Las Vegas.
After failing to even receive an average grade from Pro Football Focus during his first six games this season, Cappa has scored much better at center. In fact, his consecutive grades of 66.2 and 66.9 are both above-average, and he's scoring well as both a pass and run-blocker.
With Powers-Johnson seemingly destined to play guard under Carroll's leadership, and Jordan Meredith better suited to play guard, there is a legitimate argument for Cappa to take over center duties next season if the team moves Meredith to guard and lets Dylan Parham walk in free agency.
Perhaps this is just grasping at straws, but maybe the Raiders' injury attrition put them in a situation where they accidentally found what position Cappa is best at. They needed a solution for his underperformance anyway, and maybe sliding him to center is just the thing to give him new life.