There is more optimism around the Raiders’ offensive line than there has been in years, but there are still a lot of questions around who is ultimately going to be on the field.
Other than Kolton Miller and Tyler Linderbaum, there are position battles all along the Raiders’ offensive line and former Raiders great Lincoln Kennedy talked this week about who he would like to see in the starting lineup when the season rolls around.
“From right to left, I’m going to let D.J. Glaze start at right tackle. I’m going to go JPJ at right guard.
Tyler [Linderbaum] is obviously center,” Kennedy said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show.
“Then I’m going to say I’d like to see, I think he deserves it. I want to see Caleb Rogers at left guard and then Kolton Miller at left tackle. Now this is my logic. I’d much rather have guys that have been on the team, even though I know the offense was a disaster and the coaching was a disaster. I’d much rather have the guys who have the experience of being a Raider on the field… seeing how they gel if they can come together, and if it’s possible to come together before I make a new acquisition changes, be it draft or free agency. That’s my logic.”
“Same thing with [Spencer] Burford coming in from San Francisco,” Kennedy continued. “I thought it was smart to bring in somebody who’s familiar with the zone run scheme, familiar with and has that in his repertoire in order to move forward and grow. That’s a possibility.”
Kennedy’s projection isn’t far off from what others have said, but his stance on Jackson Powers-Johnson is interesting considering it seems like JPJ’s stock has been a little unstable in recent weeks..
After OTAs, former Raiders wide receiver Ryan Hoag said he didn’t think Powers-Johnson would start a game this season and added that he wasn’t sure if JPJ was a great fit for the coaching staff.
“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.’”
Kennedy wants the Raiders’ O-Line to have a “Mauler” in the middle
One of the reasons Kennedy wants to see Powers-Johnson in the starting lineup is because of the physical presence he can bring to the offensive line group.
“I believe in Coach Dennison,” Kennedy said of the Raiders new offensive line coach. “I believe in the system and what he can teach and what he can do. I just want to see these guys create some chemistry and be able to come together and I want that mauler in the middle. I want JPJ in the middle. I want his tenacity.”
But Kennedy also wants the coaching staff to push Powers-Johnson to eliminate the mental mistakes.
“I also want [Powers-Johnson] to be pulled back a couple on the reins a little bit,” Kenned continued. “And this is Coach Dennison, ‘Slow down brother, slow down. You can be as fast as you want to be between the whistles. Don’t cost your team the penalties. Don’t be out there and doing foolish things. But more importantly, I need you available.’
x: @raidersbeat