The Raiders begin training camp on Tuesday (rookies reported on Thursday), and one the more interesting camp battles is expected to be at the right guard position.
Jackson Powers-Johnson and Carlos Rogers are considered the front runners to start for the Raiders at right tackle, and based on reports from OTAs, Powers-Johnson seemed to enter the competition with a slight edge.
But just as it happened a year ago, it didn’t take long for rumors to swirl around Powers-Johnson and the idea that the coaching staff was needing to see more from him.
Raiders insider Jesse Merrick revisited that storyline in his final podcast before the start of training camp on Monday, and he said the talk around the team right now is that Powers-Johnson appears to be on “shaky ground” in terms of job security.
“I just get the feeling that Burford could be in the guy there at left guard. To me, right guard is where it’s really interesting. And the real question there, JPJ has to prove that he can stay healthy and play clean football. We know that he’s had some issues with flags and things like that,” Merrick said on the Silver & Black Sports Network podcast.
“Everyone I talk to leads me to believe that JPJ is on shaky ground. I’m not fully there yet, but I’m starting to warm to that idea as much as I don’t want to. It honestly makes me think that the battle with him, third round pick Trey Zuhn and Caleb Rogers is very real and makes that all the more interesting as that pans out. Also too, don’t rule out Zuhn and maybe even Caleb [Rogers] competing at left guard as well. I think both of those guys have the versatility to play both guard spots.”
Powers-Johnson seems to have gotten the message because he was one of the few veterans who showed up with the rookies to training camp on Thursday.
It’s also worth noting that Powers-Johnson has never said the wrong things publicly, even going back to last year under former head coach Pete Carroll. The third-year mauler seems committed to changing the narrative around him in training camp, and that should lead to an intense position battle over the next few weeks.
x: @raidersbeat