Amid all of the Las Vegas Raiders' on-field struggles during the 2025 NFL season, there has also been a clear philosophical difference between veteran head coach Pete Carroll and first-time general manager John Spytek about playing the team's young players.
At 74, it is fairly understandable that Carroll just wants to win now, and typically, that means playing the team's veteran players. But Spytek can also see that this team needs to rebuild and start young, and that's why he made moves to get 11 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft last April.
It has been a struggle all year to get any rookie not named Ashton Jeanty to play a significant role, and while Darien Porter, Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. have at least been making cameo appearances lately, it was another rookie who finally made an impact in Week 13, at long last.
Raiders finally got rookie guard Caleb Rogers playing time vs. Chargers
On Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Raiders were without starting offensive lineman Jordan Meredith, in addition to Jackson Powers-Johnson already being on the Injured Reserve. That opened up two starting spots on the interior offensive line.
Despite being a healthy scratch for 10 of the previous 11 games, third-round rookie Caleb Rogers finally got his shot, earning a start against the Chargers for his first NFL action. While he was not necessarily dominant, he did make an impact for the first time in his young career.
Rogers actually ended up rotating with practice squad guard Atonio Mafi in what was essentially an on-field tryout, almost like a preseason game. Rogers played just 17 snaps compared to Mafi's 30, but Rogers started five out of nine drives, so the intention, at least, was to play him more.
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As a run-blocker, Rogers did not bring his best stuff. According to Pro Football Focus, he earned just a 49.4 run-blocking grade on Sunday. While this is firmly below-average, it is not as low as some of the other run-blocking grades that have popped up in Las Vegas this year, and he can build on it.
However, Rogers shined as a pass-blocker. In nine such snaps, he pitched a shutout, allowing no sacks, pressures, hits or hurries. He earned a grade of 81.8, which is nearly an elite mark, and was the second-highest grade for the Raiders in Week 13.
Again, it's not like Rogers set the world on fire, but he had some great reps against a good Chargers defensive line. By simply not breaking down on every play, like the Las Vegas offensive line is prone to doing, he made a positive impact on the game.
This is what the rest of the season should be about. Give the young players as many opportunities as they can handle, because clearly, the year has long been over. The Raiders won't know what they have for the future if they don't give these players a chance right now.