Last season, tight end Brock Bowers was the Las Vegas Raiders’ draft pick that got the majority of the attention and with good reason, as he immediately established himself as one of the best players at his position. But the Raiders also seemingly took another player who projected to be a long-term starter at center, Jackson Powers-Johnson.
While he only played guard at Oregon, Powers-Johnson projected as a center and started 14 games as a rookie at both center and guard. Going into this season, however, most assumed Powers-Johnson would be the Raiders’ starting center. Still, new head coach Pete Carroll has always been a coach who will allow battles at any position if it is deserved, and Jordan Meredith has earned that competition.
With Powers-Johnson and Meredith splitting first-team reps in training camp so far, Carroll confirmed that the two are battling to be the Raiders’ starting center via Paul Gutierrez of Raiders.com:
“Both guys are battling, and it just makes us better.” – #Raiders coach Pete Carroll, on Jackson Powers-Johnson and Jordan Meredith splitting reps at center in camp. pic.twitter.com/CHg7pkSNpg
— Paul Gutierrez (@PaulHGutierrez) July 29, 2025
Carroll would go on to praise Meredith for his play last season and believes he and Powers-Johnson are both showing themselves very well in camp so far, via Levi Edwards of Raiders.com:
Pete Carroll on battle at center: “It’s a good battle. … [Jordan Meredith] played really efficiently last year.”#Raiders
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) July 29, 2025
An undrafted lineman out of Western Kentucky, Meredith has spent the past three seasons with the Raiders, appearing in 32 games with nine starts. He appeared in all 17 games in 2023 and 14 games last season with eight starts, and now is trying to etch his spot as a starter for this team going forward.
Improving the offensive line is extremely important for the Raiders as they look to take a leap this season. The team signed Alex Cappa in free agency to hold down the right guard spot, and Dylan Parham has been a starter since being drafted in 2022. Whoever wins this center battle will be relied upon to bring together the interior of this offensive line, and whoever loses will give Carroll a valuable and versatile backup.
Details coming out on Raiders’ release of DT Christian Wilkins
Currently, the biggest news surrounding the Raiders involves the team releasing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. His recovery from the Jones fracture he suffered that ended his season early was obviously a big factor, but rumors on an alleged incident inside the Raiders’ facility are also emerging.
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