There will be competition
There will be a lot of competitions in the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp this year.
One of the more unique and interesting battle with be a mass competition that will include four players and two positions. In a somewhat unexpected proclamation, Raiders general manager told reporters that Jackson Powers-Johnson, Dylan Parham, Jordan Meredith and the newly signed Alex Cappa will all be competing for the two starting guard jobs will all but Cappa will be in the mix at center.
One interesting detail from our chat with John Spytek: the Raiders are looking at four guys competing for the two starting guard spots: Powers-Johnson, Parham, Cappa and Meredith.
And the three other than Cappa will compete for the center job.— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) March 31, 2025
It’s pretty wild. We’re going to try top predict how it will at shake out about five months before the regular season starts.
Guards:
Meredith is the guy to watch here. He played well as he got a chance last season (he started eight games) and many observers think he was better than Parham. If Meredith can quickly fit into the offensive new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and the scenes of new line coach Brennan Carroll, he can win a job. I think Cappa, who played in Tampa Bay with Spytek in the front office, was brought in to be a starter. So, we’re going to go with (reserving the right to change my mind at a alter date) with Meredith and Cappa being the Week 1 starters.
Center:
With that battle settled, we’re down to Powers-Johnson and Parham fighting at this spot. Remember, when the Raiders drafted Parham in the third round in 2022, he was considered to be a potential future center, so he can play the position. But, if he is healthy, there is no way I see Powers-Johnson not winning a starting spot going not the season. It would be a shock if he wasn’t one of the starting five offensive lineman at either center or guard. Powers-Johnson began his rookie season as a guard but finished as the center, which was considered his optimum NFL position. What he put on film to close out the season backed that up. So, this is a pretty easy call.
Conclusion:
This would be mean Parham would be the odd man out. Yes, it would be a little bit of a surprise, but in a competition, someone lose out, right? If Parham, indeed, doesn’t start, it is possible the Raiders can flip him for a draft pick before the season starts. He is a free agent next year and teams are always looking for experienced starters, especially right before the season starts. In the end, this will be a battle and it can always change. So, whatever the guard-center group is in Week 1, doesn’t mean it will stay that way, so this will be a season-long battle.