There’s no doubt that Brennan Carroll was in over his head as the Las Vegas Raiders‘ offensive line coach, but six games into the season, it’s clear that the offensive line issues go beyond coaching. The offense has been moving the ball through the air, but the run game has been nonexistent.
Jackson Powers-Johnson seemed to finally be on the right track. After bouncing between guard and center his first two seasons, the Raiders set him at right guard. He beat out Caleb Rogers in training camp for the starting job, but hasn’t played well.
This led to him getting benched for the Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills. He didn’t play a single snap. Getting benched is never a good feeling for an athlete, but Powers-Johnson is trying to keep his head held high.
“I don’t really read into that,” Powers-Johnson said about being benched, per The Athletic’s Sam Warren. “Those aren’t my decisions to make. All I can do is be the best teammate I can be.”
Powers-Johnson has worked hard, but he’s putting his faith in the coaching staff and is focused on being a good teammate.
“The coaches are gonna make the best decisions they can for this team and my job is to be the best teammate and trust what these coaches are going to do,” Powers-Johnson said. “They’re trying to put us on the right path.”
Powers-Johnson Not Giving Up
Powers-Johnson may have lost the job for now, but Rogers is a second-year player who is also working out the kinks. Powers-Johnson knows that he could still get back in the starting lineup and is going to keep working hard to make that happen.
“I think every day is a competition, and I’m not going to change my mindset or feel a certain way,” Powers-Johnson said. “I’m just gonna go out there and try to get better.”
Head coach Klint Kubiak favors Rogers right now, but he admitted that there are still competitions on the offensive line.
“You keep competing,” Kubiak said. “You’re going to get a chance again and make sure you’re ready when you are. You’re a professional, you’ve got to do that.”
It has been a turbulent first three seasons for Powers-Johnson, but this situation is certainly less dramatic than last year’s.
“I’ve been through a lot, so I have a lot of experience to fall back to,” Powers-Johnson said.
Kubiak Talks Rogers
Rogers was a third-round pick last year and looked good when he got a chance to play in 2025. He was narrowly beaten out by Powers-Johnson, so the Raiders have always been confident in his play.
He didn’t make a big impact against the Bills, but Kubiak saw some stuff he liked.
“Caleb was prepared,” Kubiak said of Rogers. “There’s some good and some bad. I see him as a young player that’s continuing to improve.”
Rogers has the keys to the starting right guard spot for now. If he plays well, he’s going to keep the job, but Powers-Johnson is going to stay hot on his heels.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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