Raiders in no hurry to make a final call on offensive line

Entangled in a training camp battle for a starting job, Raiders offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson caused a bit of a stir when he spent the vast majority of Sunday’s workout watching rather than practicing.

Instead of lining up at right guard with the first- or second-team offenses, as he had for most of the past week, Powers-Johnson was replaced by Atonio Mafi and Jarrod Huffman.

After already getting squeezed out at center by Jordan Meredith — seemingly, anyway — was Powers-Johnson losing ground at right guard, too?

Turns out there was a valid explanation. As Raiders coach Pete Carroll clarified after practice, Powers-Johnson is dealing with a rib injury. The second-year lineman tried to push through it early in Sunday’s workout, but almost immediately after giving it a go, he retreated to the sideline.

“He got punched in the ribs and tried to practice with it,” Carroll said. “He’s sore. He’s fine.”

Carroll also revealed that Alex Cappa, who Powers-Johnson is in a battle with for the starting job at right guard, is also dealing with a rib injury that has sidelined him for more than a week. In addition, Carroll said veteran defensive tackle Adam Butler had missed the past two practices while dealing with a family issue.

Carroll said Cappa’s injury is not expected to keep him out for an extended period.

“It’s a pretty subtle injury, but it does take a little while,” Carroll said. “So he’s coming back, and he feels pretty good about it. It’s not a long-term deal at all.”

Injuries delay O-line decision

The Cappa and Powers-Johnson setbacks have muddied the water a bit on the Raiders’ plans along the offensive line, at least in terms of deciding on a starting five. However, Carroll made it clear they have plenty of time to assess the situation.

“We’ve got a month before we start playing real games,” he said.

Coming into camp, Powers-Johnson was the odds-on favorite to be the starting center, but Carroll and his coaching staff believe that Meredith, who has exclusively been a guard during his three years in the NFL, is better suited for center. They are giving him a fair chance to prove it.

The ripple effect is what that means for Powers-Johnson, who spent most of the first week of camp alternating as the starting center with Meredith but has since moved to right guard, where he’s alternating with Cappa.

Cappa’s rib injury paved the way for Powers-Johnson to get all the first-team reps at right guard last week, including Thursday’s preseason game against the Seahawks, but it sounds like the two linemen will resume their competition when both are healthy.

Given how the rest of the Raiders’ starting offensive line seems set — Kolton Miller at left tackle, Dylan Parham at right guard, Meredith at center and DJ Glaze at right guard — the fact that Powers-Johnson has been in a constant competition for a starting job remains conspicuous.

One has to wonder if Carroll and his staff are truly sold on Powers-Johnson as a starter. Or if he needs to do more to prove himself.

“He’s definitely a physical football player,” said Carroll, who pointed to Thursday’s game as evidence.

“At the guard spot, playing next to Jordan, it showed up,” Carroll said. “It seemed to be a bit of a factor.”

In no hurry to make calls

With Meredith getting all the first-team reps at center for more than a week, the assumption is that he has won the starting job. That might not be the case, though, especially after the Raiders played Meredith and Powers-Johnson deep into the second quarter against the Seahawks. They are clearly still deciding if he is the right fit at center.

“That was to give (Meredith) enough reps so that we could have enough stuff on him on film that we could work with,” Carroll said.

As a result, Meredith and Powers-Johnson played extended snaps long after the rest of the regulars left the game.

“We need consistency,” Carroll said. “We need those guys working together.”

Carroll was pleased with Meredith’s performance.

“Jordan’s coming a long way at the center spot,” Carroll said. “He played a really solid game right out of the chute.”

Nevertheless, he is not in any hurry to make a final call, be it at center or guard. And he seems comfortable with the competition moving beyond training camp.

“Maybe we don’t figure it out by the start of the season, and we’re rotating then,” Carroll said. “It just needs to declare when it declares. But it’s good for all of us. It’s good for those guys to be battling, looking around, and saying, ‘Somebody else is going to take my spot if I don’t play well on every play that I get.’ And that’s the mentality we’re looking for.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.