Two weeks ago, the headlines around the Raiders were mostly about what Christian Wilkins did or didn’t do to a teammate that might have contributed to his release on July 24.
Now we’ve moved on to football and the major talking point around the Raiders in the second week of August is Jackson Powers-Johnson and the uncertainty around the interior of the offensive line.
For months, Powers-Johnson was the presumed starter at center, but now it appears Jordan Meredith may have moved over to center and Powers-Johnson seems to be battling for a guard spot.
Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter reported on Monday that the coaching staff is looking for more from Powers-Johnson, and that’s an interesting statement considering the second-year lineman is arguably the best young offensive lineman on the roster.
It’s not clear where the Raiders’ O-line situation is headed, but according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore, the coaching staff in Las Vegas isn’t in a hurry to get the offensive line sorted out.
“I think everything is still on the table for those two positions, at center and right guard. It’s down basically to three players, Alex Cappa, Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jordan Meredith. They’re going to decide what the best combination is for those two positions. They’re going to take their time doing it and I don’t see any problem in doing that,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“As Pete Carroll told us yesterday, there’s no real games for another month and even if it goes into the regular season, so be it. I mean, it’ll declare itself when it declares itself,” Bonsignore continued. “I don’t see a big problem in that. And by the way, in their mind, they’ve got three quality players. I don’t believe it’s because somebody’s bad or not good.”
Evidently, the fan response to Bonsignore’s reporting on Powers-Johnson hasn’t been all positive and flagship radio host ‘JT the Brick’ chimed in on his weekday radio show on Monday.
“The point is that Pete Carroll is taking his time to solidify the offensive line. What’s wrong with that? Really? You’re going to attack Vinny Bonsignore? You’re going to attack our host, our insiders and say that they don’t know what they’re talking about? They know exactly what they’re talking about,” JT said his Raider Nation Radio show.
“They’re some of the sharpest people in all of sports. So the issue is simple. Pete Carroll wants more competition. He’s not going to tell me, but he’s figuring out the status of the five starters on the offensive line, and there are some in Raider Nation who are personally upset that Jackson Powers-Johnson hasn’t been anointed the first team starter at right guard or center.”
“You want to crown [Powers-Johnson]? Then go crown his ***. You guys all want to have some type of depth chart that’s all set going into the Niner game, like some former regimes had and they’re not here anymore. There’s more competition here with Pete Carroll,” JT continued. “So you would think the average Raider fan, and I think the average Raider fan understands this, and the typical football fan understands there’s a process.”
Fans offer some wild opinions on social media, so who knows what kind of comments have been made, but it’s a fair argument to suggest it might benefit the Raiders to get the offensive line sorted out sooner than later. Continuity is key to an effective line and the coaching staff probably won’t prefer to play their starters in the third and final preseason game.
It’s possible the coaches know where they want Powers-Johnson and getting 40 reps on Thursday alongside Meredith might be sign they are moving in that direction.
But given the state of the Raiders’ offensive line over the last few years, it easy to understand why Raider fans would be a little nervous watching the O-line depth chart take this long to be sorted out.
x: @raidersbeat
And again… The Brick and Vinny BOTH love their Paychecks. They Kiss A$$ with Carroll just as they BOTH did with McClown!!! I like Coach Carroll (the Head Coach) and believe that this team will be Better… but Our “Insider” reporting has a Lot to be Desired…
Wasn’t on board with drafting JPJ last year at his spot but he’s better and is more valuable to the Raiders than Meredith. However this entire off-season the new FO haven’t got good value from any transaction. Cappa should’ve been here with peanuts if at all. Bennett shouldn’t got Booker and at least a 5th rounder. Overdrafting of almost every single selection in the draft. A 3rd (J.Milroe) for Geno and his new $$$. And on and on. Yet the inside guys that get $$$ from the team think that not one fan should or could have an opinion because past his prime Pete wants to compete. Like Pete’s kids had to compete for their jobs? Or Tommy’s old pal being named GM? We are in the toughest division in the NFL and we need better from the owner and the team in general otherwise it’s another 3-6 win season and one year closer to the next rebuild. Whomever is advising Mark needs to leave because since 2016 everything Mark has done has made the Raiders worse.
Raider Nation, loved your assement and have been saying the same thing for years myself. What has happened to my beloved Raiders, since Mark Davis inherited them, is criminal and just goes to prove that simply throwing money at a problem doesn’t always fix it. Or better yet, a fool and his money soon go their separate ways.
Looks like it’s going to be a very long time before this team ever becomes viable again. Poor scouting, poor management choices and no leadership but goo gabs of revenue. Sounds like the New York Jets southwest version. To be continued…