Last year, Raiders’ second-year guard Jackson Powers-Johnson got off to a terrible start to the season (training camp and preseason included), and no one has ever explained exactly what happened between Powers-Johnson and last year’s coaching staff.
Regardless of what happened a year ago, it seems like Powers-Johnson is already finding himself in some of the same conversations that surrounded him a year ago.
One of the popular talking points around OTAs has been the emergence of second-year guard Caleb Rogers and the consensus seems to be that if Rogers cracks the starting lineup in 2026, Powers-Johnson will be the odd man out.
It could be simple injuries that are holding back Powers-Johnson at this early stage in the offseason, but former Raiders’ wide receiver Ryan Hoag made an interesting comment on JPJ this week to Raiders beat writer Jesse Merrick.
“I will say that just the relationship, it seems like Jackson Powers-Johnson has with the coaching staff, just from my observation of one practice, it seems a little unsettled,” Hoag said on the Silver & Black Sports Podcast.
“I don’t know if it’s because Jackson’s always like the rah-rah hype guy, you know, I’m first to do a radio interview or whatever, but it just seems like that type of like mentality with the team, at least this coaching staff, is just like, ‘No, we’re not going for that.'”
As for Rogers, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter believes Rogers is going to be at the top of the O-line depth chart sooner than later.
“I keep mentioning him and I think Caleb Rogers throughout OTAs was really getting better and better and a light switch has turned and that just happens with young players,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“I think Caleb Rogers is going to have a bigger year than anyone suspects in 2026. I am a Caleb Rogers guy. I’ve been telling you that since before the draft when they took him in the 2025 draft. I’ve maintained it. I stand on it. And I’m going to tell you right now, I think he’s going to be a starter this year. I think he has a really good shot at being a starter. So there you go. Just a little insight.”
Along with Carpenter, the California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore said he also feels like Rogers is making a push to start this year.
“I thought Caleb Rogers had a really strong day yesterday,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“[He is] somebody that I think is pushing for a starting job, and that might be bad news for somebody by the name of Jackson Powers-Johnson, [who] was not out there. Another situation that he’s dealing with physically, unfortunate for Jackson Powers-Johnson. But we’ve been talking about this day after day throughout the first two years of his career. Can he stay healthy?”
x: @raidersbeat
JPJ is the best and most versatile offensive lineman on the team who can also play Center.