Jackson Powers-Johnson has been bouncing around the Raiders’ offensive line in recent weeks, and there has been talk in recent days that he might not be a lock to crack the starting lineup.
Along with Kolton Miller, Powers-Johnson was considered one of the few guaranteed starters along the Raiders’ offensive line going into 2025, but according to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, the coaching staff is wanting more from last year’s second-round pick.
“Watching the way they’re handling Jackson Powers-Johnson, they want more out of him, and they’re trying a lot of different angles, trying a lot of different things,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast.
“Somebody asked me, do you think they’re just trying to manipulate him, to motivate him?” Carpenter continued. “And I really don’t think that’s it, because he is motivated. He doesn’t have to be manipulated. I think they literally just, what you see is what you get.”
“They want more out of him and they keep talking about Jordan Meredith’s execution at center, and they love Jordan Meredith, and I think they’re looking for him… they want him to be technically sound. Let’s just leave it there. And clearly that’s what they want. They think that he can be more technically sound.”
“I still believe that it is hard for me to wrap around that he isn’t a starter. I said this yesterday in the podcast though. The longer this goes, the more I think there’s a legitimate shot that he absolutely could be in jeopardy. But I want to wait and just see, at least for me, where how this plays out.”
From the onset of the shuffle between Powers-Johnson and Meredith, the details haven’t added up, but it sounds like the new coaching staff just hasn’t been happy with what they have seen from Powers-Johnson to this point in the process.
If Powers-Johnson doesn’t end up being a starter, it will be interesting to see who replaces him because the Raiders don’t have the deepest O-line room on paper.
Or to borrow another famous quote… If they sit JPJ, it would be a bold move. Let’s see if it pays off for them.
x: @raidersbeat
Has anyone considered that the O-Line Coach Stinks?? His Credentials are not Outstanding… Oh wait – a bit of Nepotism at Play…. Whoops!!!
Hondo is a dummy but this hatred JPJ is asinine. Pete’s kid should be proving himself to the OL, not the other way around. Plus, who’s gonna argue JPJ isn’t our 2nd best OL. Glaze looks worse than him.
Would he have the gig if his daddy wasn’t the HC? That said, I surely hope that he’s up to the task.
I really hope they’re just trying to motivate him because the idea of Meredith at C with Geno Smith at QB is terrifying.
Let’s see what they have before negative comments. Give the staff a chance to put together their starting personnel. Once the season begins we will see their results if it’s an improvement or not. It’s going to take more than one season to show remarkable improvement
It’s pre season. This is the time to try different O line combos. Everyone needs to quit panicking. And Hondo isn’t what I would consider an insider. He kind of sucks. 🤣
True, it’s preseason but we’ve seen this type of play from the team too many times and they tend to play like this midseason! Preseason is when improvement is made, hopefully we see it against SF.