Raiders starting guard heads to IR, opening door for rookie to debut

With Raiders right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson heading to the injured reserve list with an ankle injury, the club faces an interesting decision on how to replace him.

Veteran Alex Cappa is technically the next man up, at least on the depth chart. He and Powers-Johnson have been waging a seasonlong competition for the right guard job, and it was Cappa who replaced Powers-Johnson when Powers-Johnson went down with the ankle injury in the second quarter of the Raiders’ 10-7 loss to the Broncos.

But the 30-year-old Cappa is not considered a long-term answer for the Raiders. And with their playoff hopes all but wiped out after losing seven of their first nine games, it’s time to start thinking more long term.

If so, it opens the door for Caleb Rogers, a third-round pick from Texas Tech who could figure prominently in the club’s future. The 24-year-old rookie has been inactive for all but one game this year, with the Raiders opting to go with Cappa and second-year interior offensive lineman Will Putman as the backups at guard and center.

That is expected to all change now that Powers-Johnson is out for an extended period of time, if not the rest of the season. With very little to play for in terms of the postseason, it’s time for the Raiders to get a good look at a prospect that showed plenty of promise this summer while allowing just three pressures in 76 pass-block snaps during the preseason.

“It’s just a matter of time before he really gains command of what’s going on with the game itself,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said. “He’s got a real high upside, so we’re interested in giving him a chance to show what he can do and see if he can get on the field and help out.”

Rogers is excited about getting a chance.

“I’ve been very eager to get this opportunity, so now having it is really exciting,” he said.

Working behind scenes

Rogers said he has prepared each week as if he were going to start, so he won’t change anything about his approach this week when the Raiders prepare to play the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, what position you’re in. You’re one play away in practice or in a game because someone can get hurt in practice or in a game,” Rogers said. “It can happen any time, so just be ready. That’s just how I operate.”

In the meantime, he has also been working on the finer points of playing guard in the NFL. Specifically, getting his hand and footwork to work in unison. Doing so meant a heavy focus on his hands at first, and once he was comfortable with that he began getting the footwork down.

“I’m honestly glad I did it the way I did because once I figured out the hands it made me realize how much I need to finish figuring out my feet,” Rogers said. “I’ve got some athleticism that kind of just gives me a pretty simple basis of what I have to do at offensive line. But once I figured out my hands, I realized that my feet just weren’t really there yet.”

Over time, Rogers began fine-tuning his balance and weight distribution in order to get everything to sync up properly.

“And now that I feel like I’m kind of done assembling those two pieces, I’m really excited to go get some reps against anybody,” he said.

As for Powers-Johnson, Carroll confirmed it’s going to be a while before he gets back on the field. By rule, Powers-Johnson must sit out at least four games before being eligible to return from IR. With only eight games left to play, that would not leave a lot of time for him to get ramped up in time to play again this year.

“We’re going to miss JPJ (Jackson Powers-Johnson),” Carroll said. “He plays his butt off and really loves this program and shows it in everything that he does, but it’s going to be a while before he gets back. But the IR thing will take care of that.”

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