Jackson Powers-Johnson has never stood on steady ground as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. Whether it has been injuries, position battles or general awkwardness with the staff, the young player, now heading into Year 3, needed to transcend his issues and make a statement this preseason.
But he has been embroiled in yet another fight for his starting spot during training camp, as second-year man Caleb Rogers is hot on his tail. Days after the first preseason game, Klint Kubiak simply responded, "No," to a question about whether or not Powers-Johnson has earned a starting spot.
Well, things didn't get any easier for him on Monday. According to various reports, Powers-Johnson left practice with an injury and did not return. This is just the latest obstacle standing in his way of becoming the player that Las Vegas drafted him to be, and that Raider Nation knows he can be.
Jackson Powers-Johnson leaves Raiders practice early with apparent injury
According to those in attendance for the padded practice at Raiders HQ, Powers-Johnson went down during the team's red zone period. He did quickly pop back up and head to the sideline, but he left practice shortly after with a trainer and did not return. The nature or severity of his injury is unknown.
Las Vegas travels to Houston on Monday evening after practice to prepare for joint practices with the Texans on Tuesday, and then they'll play their second preseason game against them on Thursday evening. Powers-Johnson's availability for both of these events is now suddenly in jeopardy.
Considering Powers-Johnson is in a battle for a starting spot come Week 1, any setback was going to be brutal for him. But an injury-related one is the worst kind, as it's not a mistake on the field that he can clean up. It also reinforces the sentiment around him that he's too injury-prone to be relied on.
When Powers-Johnson first came to Las Vegas as a rookie, he arrived with some medical red flags from his time in college, suffering multiple concussions while at Oregon, among other things. As a rookie, he got a late start, missing time with another injury and not suiting up until Week 3.
After playing the rest of the 2024 NFL season and staying healthy throughout camp in 2025, Powers-Johnson was the Week 1 starter last year. But he missed Week 2's game with an ailment, and then he sustained an ankle injury in Week 10 that sidelined him for the rest of the season.
All told, Powers-Johnson has played in just 23 of a possible 34 games in his first two NFL seasons, and now, the injury bug seems to have bitten him once again. Ideally, he just got banged up and left practice out of an abundance of caution, and he'll be back before we know it.
Clarity should come soon. Hopefully, it's nothing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google