Right guard is no longer the biggest question mark on the Las Vegas Raiders‘ offensive line. With left tackle Kolton Miller on Injured Reserve, everybody will be watching that position closely.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still questions about right guard. Jackson Powers-Johnson played an excellent game in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, but the coaching staff has been apprehensive about him being the de facto starter.
For now, the Raiders are happy with him and are going to give him another start in Week 5, according to head coach Pete Carroll.
“He’s handled it very capably,” Carroll said of Powers-Johnson on Wednesday. “He’s done a nice job of controlling the message inside and communications and all of that. He’s been very consistent. He had a play or two in the game, like guys have, when he got knocked around a little bit. But all in all, he’s done a very, very creditable job. Let me say this too, I was really happy with JPJ’s [Jackson Powers-Johnson] game, and he’s going to start this week, and we’re looking forward to seeing him contribute again.
“He had a good, significant role now that we can see it all happen. So, you can kind of count on that, but I think both those guys, the more that they can be together, the better off they’ll be, and it just helps for the continuity and the confidence and the speed of response, and as they’re making their changes and their reads inside. But I think Jordan’s [Meredith] done a nice job for us.”
Chip Kelly Praises Powers-Johnson
Powers-Johnson was an elite player in college, which led to him being a second-round pick last year. The Raiders were very high on him last season, but it’s a new coaching staff and front office in place right now.
It’s odd that he seems to be the one player on the offensive line who has to keep proving himself. Regardless, the Raiders seem to be warming up to him more, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly praised the young guard.
“I love JPJ, but his head is really big right now. … He’s a tough kid. He plays his tail off. He’s a physical player,” Kelly told reporters on Thursday.
Will Powers-Johnson Hold Onto Starting Job?
It appears that Powers-Johnson will continue to have to prove himself to hold onto the starting right guard job. Alex Cappa hasn’t played well in his opportunities, but the Raiders aren’t 100% sold on Powers-Johnson yet.
All he can do is continue to play well. He’s shown big-time potential the last couple of seasons, but can be inconsistent. He’s definitely the most physical offensive lineman the Raiders have, but sometimes he can be a bit overly physical.
That said, it doesn’t make much sense to give reps to a veteran like Cappa when Powers-Johnson needs as much experience as he can get. If Cappa was obviously better, then the Raiders could justify playing him, but Powers-Johnson looks like the better player, and he’s younger.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Pete Carroll Announces Decision on Jackson Powers-Johnson appeared first on Heavy Sports.