Jackson Powers-Johnson enters training camp with his spot anything but guaranteed, and that’s a big shift for a player the Raiders once viewed as a future anchor inside.
Las Vegas drafted Powers-Johnson with the idea that he could grow into a star interior offensive lineman. He arrived from Oregon as the Rimington Trophy winner, billed as the best center in college football, and the Raiders brought him in with plenty of expectations attached.
His rookie year never really got rolling the way anyone expected. An illness hit early in training camp and delayed his debut until later in the season. When he finally got on the field, he worked at both guard and center, and his aggressive style quickly won over Raider Nation.
Last season brought a different kind of challenge. With a new staff in place, Jordan Meredith took over at center, and Powers-Johnson had to battle Alex Cappa for work at guard. Pete Carroll wasn’t a fan of his, and after eventually settling in as the right guard following Week 4, Powers-Johnson finished the year on IR.
Now he’s back in a third coaching setup, and that alone gives him another reset. But this one comes with real pressure. He won’t be playing center in 2026 after the signing of Tyler Linderbaum, and while the fanbase sees him as the likely starting right guard, that job has not been handed to him.
During OTAs, media reports said the competition was still alive. Caleb Rogers was taking some first-team snaps at right guard alongside Powers-Johnson, a development that caught some fans off guard. The concerns are easy to see: injuries have followed him, and he still hasn’t consistently matched the promise that made him such an intriguing draft pick.
There’s also been the issue of pad level, something that has shown up repeatedly in his young career. It helped lead to rough outings, including his struggle against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7’s 31-0 blowout loss last season.
Still, the upside hasn’t disappeared. There are games where Powers-Johnson looks exactly like the player Tom Telesco took in the second round in 2024 - moving with force, getting to blocks, and finishing plays with the kind of edge Raiders fans love.
That’s what makes this such an important stretch for him. If he can stay healthy and handle Klint Kubiak’s zone-scheme, he has a real chance to turn this into a long-term role on the offensive line.
For now, it comes down to one thing: Powers-Johnson has to lock in and show the staff he belongs in the starting five.
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