Chip Kelly and the Las Vegas Raiders offensive staff may be a bit unhappy with what they’re seeing from second-year stud originally appeared on A to Z Sports.

With training camp here, the Las Vegas Raiders are evaluating everything. And that’s what they should do, considering how many things have been wrong within the franchise.

This is the fourth regime in four years for the Raiders. So, with so many hands on the franchise the last few years, Pete Carroll and John Spytek just want to make sure everything is at its best. That includes position battles in training camp that maybe we didn’t even think would be position battles.

Training camp is the time to watch for position battles all over the roster, but you usually know who will start at certain positions — for example, we know quarterback Geno Smith is the starter. There is no battle between him and Aidan O’Connell, the backup quarterback.

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Well, we thought there was no battle for the center spot. Jackson Powers-Johnson, the now second-year center, finished the season there last year, and man, he was great. He had a few hiccups, but overall, it was fun seeing him get up the field for a few pancakes.

This was a position that we all just assumed was JPJ’s, and there really wasn’t anything else to think about. The idea was that JPJ is the center of the future for the Raiders. But we could all be wrong. There’s now some stipulation that maybe the Raiders are unhappy with him, as that’s a question one insider is raising.

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Raiders could be unhappy with Jackson Powers-Johnson

The first week of training camp, JPJ was starting at center. Then, in this second week, it’s been mostly all Jordan Meredith, the guard from last season. And, JPJ has been playing guard, where he started the 2024 season.

And, the question is, why is that? It feels like that’s the direction the Raiders are going.

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“What was interesting… is when Alex Cappa was in there, he was making the line calls,” Las Vegas Raiders Review Journal insider Vinny Bonsignore said on the Vegas Nation First and 10 podcast. “Do you think [Powers-Johnson moving to guard] has to do with communication and understanding of the offense, and the understanding of calling things at the NFL level, that maybe they’re a little bit hesitant with Jackson Powers-Johnson right now?”

“I’m just wondering if Jackson Powers Johnson is at the point where… I’m trying to put myself in his cleats a little bit… ‘on notice, singled out’ or whatever the case might be, it’s pretty conspicuous what’s going on,” Bonsignore said.

Now, this could very well mean nothing at all, just the Raiders trying things out. Or, it could mean everything. If a guy like Vinny, who is super close to the team, is pointing it out, saying something isn’t right, then something’s probably not right.

It’s still early in training camp, so it will certainly be something to watch, because JPJ is much better at the center position than he is at the guard position.

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.