“Anytime that a guy knows that his spot's in jeopardy, no one's comfortable. So, that's great for coaches, for players to not be comfortable."
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak recently said that to reporters after a training camp practice. But unlike past coaches, the Silver and Black's new leader is actually walking the walk and creating a culture of competing with each other, not against. And the players seem to love it.
After the year that they had in 2025, battles were always going to take place on the Raiders' offensive line. Both the staff and fanbase have been especially gearing up for who wins the two starting guard spots next to Tyler Linderbaum, and in the early going, it seemed like there wasn't any movement.
Ever since the spring program, Spencer Burford has gotten the nod on the left side, and Jackson Powers-Johnson has been slotted in opposite him. But during Thursday's non-padded practice, second-year player Caleb Rogers started rotating in with Powers-Johnson, getting first-team reps.
That's the first winkle that the Raiders have put on display in the ongoing guard battle at camp, and it is an interesting one. Let's dissect the reports we've seen about both players thus far and comb through all that has been said by and about these players and their battle as camp marches on.
Raiders rotate Caleb Rogers in with Jackson Powers-Johnson for 1st-team RG reps at training camp
Early reports from training camp indicated that Burford and Powers-Johnson ate up all of the first-team reps. While fans haven't been crazy about the idea of Burford playing over a slew of recent mid-round picks like Rogers and Trey Zuhn III, Kubiak knows and trusts him.
"Spencer is a guy that's got some really good film in San Francisco," Kubiak said. "He's come here and has gelled well with our system, and is a big part of this guard competition."
Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer noted last week that Burford is assumed to be the starting left guard, while Powers-Johnson and Rogers were "in that mix" on the right side. The Athletic's Sam Warren made mention of Powers-Johnson playing well, springing a few runs when padded practices started.
Rogers was seemingly rotating in with the second group at both guard spots, and he drew praise from defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV. Nothing from camp indicated that Rogers was getting any run with the 1s, though.
Raider Nation learned from Dennison on Tuesday, however, that the team needed to get through its install before rotating at all, so this wasn't necessarily anything to note.
"Everybody's competing, we're just starting out," Dennison said to the press. "In our drills, we're working everybody with everybody. ... We're not even through our install yet. We've still got a couple more days of putting our base stuff in, and then we'll pull and keep moving guys around."
The first wrinkle of that came on Thursday in a non-padded practice, as several reporters informed the fanbase that it was an active competition between Rogers and Powers-Johnson at right guard, with Rogers now taking some first-team reps, and Powers-Johnson some with the twos.
Again, Powers-Johnson, who needs a strong training camp after a few difficult years, is being made to compete for a job on the offensive line. For some reason, right tackle DJ Glaze isn't having to battle for his spot, at least not yet, despite immense struggles during portions of camp so far.
Las Vegas does have more options at guard, with Powers-Johnson, Burford, Rogers, Zuhn III and Jordan Meredith all seemingly capable of playing right now. Kubiak made note of this last week, and he assured everyone that the competition will drag on, as he doesn't want complacency.
"We have a lot of talented players at that position, and they'll make the decision for us," Kubiak told reporters. "We're going to coach them up, and we also know that whoever started in week one doesn't mean that's the starter in Week 17."
But what exactly is Kubiak looking for in this battle?
"Consistency," Kubiak said to the media. "Looking for guys that are great teammates, that are obviously solid in pass protection, excellent in the run game, and guys that just help make the team better. The best athlete isn't the one that's going to win the job. It's the guy that plays the best with the other five around him. And then, offensive line-wise, unless you're playing tackle, you better be able to play multiple spots. So, having versatile guys is very important."
Message received.
Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers weigh in on camp battle and new coaching staff
Offensive line coach Rick Dennison, whose opinion will loom large in Kubiak's ear when he makes the decision on who to start between Powers-Johnson and Rogers, or perhaps someone else, had great things to say about Powers-Johnson when speaking to the media.
"I've seen a guy that's very receptive," Dennison said of Powers-Johnson. "He wants to learn. Yes, sir, no, sir. Tell him to do something, he does it the best he can, and he corrects mistakes. He's been a great teammate. I think he's done a really good job in the offseason. "He's studied really hard. He's one of the first guys to answer any question I say in there, and he's consistent. I wasn't here. I couldn't tell you what happened the last couple years. I know I evaluated him when he came out of the draft, and I think he's done a great job. He's working hard, getting better every day."
It sounds like that affection is mutual.
"He's been an incredible teacher to me," Powers-Johnson said of Dennison. "He's showed me that he has my back, he's got our back, he's got our team's back. And he's a team guy. He's been amazing. Some of the best coaches I've been around."
Powers-Johnson had a different demeanor at the podium. Fans are used to him being a goofy, happy-go-lucky guy, but the third-year pro seemed rather serious when speaking with the media. He knows the new vibe in the building is quite different, and he is adjusting. That's a sign of maturity.
He also wouldn't give life to any questions about expectations as a second-round pick or living up to the hype. Powers-Johnson is solely focused on improving every day. He loves the room that he's in, their approach, and the support that he has. Powers-Johnson just wants to compete and have fun.
Rogers is also loving the new-look Raiders offensive line and the general culture that they've cultivated in that room.
"I'm feeling great, but I really think it's just about us as a group. And I think that, as a group, we've elevated and we all continue to elevate each other," Rogers told Raider Nation Radio's Q Myers"JPJ, Spence, the tackles, we all buy into each other. We all help each other grow, and it doesn't matter who's starting or who's not. We all have the mentality of pushing each other, working together, elevating each other's play. And so, again, the unity piece, I might feel good or he might, but that doesn't matter. It's about the way that we all look at each other and rise, bring each other up."
This all comes back to two things that Kubiak and his coaching staff seem to be preaching this offseason: Competing with each other and establishing trust. Powers-Johnson couldn't have said it better.
"It's just competition; having fun playing football," Powers-Johnson said. "I think it's important as a team. When players feel like coaches have their back, they can go in and go play football and know that every coach is trying to get them better for a common goal."
If that means Powers-Johnson at right guard, so be it. If Rogers gets the nod, that's fine too. Anything could still happen in this ongoing battle, but the Raiders finally proved that it is indeed a competition by giving Rogers his first shot with the 1s and Powers-Johnson some reps with the 2s.
Keep your eyes peeled for developments on this front, as Las Vegas has to get the right combination up front, and it is a pivotal year for both young players.
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