Las Vegas Raiders News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Oct 12, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders guard Alex Cappa (65) and Las Vegas Raiders center Will Putnam (67) warm up before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Analyzing the Raiders' Coaching Staff's Crucial Decision

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line is an issue that must be thoroughly addressed this offseason.

Shortly before Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys, it was announced the Raiders would start Jordan Meredith at guard instead of center and that they would start Will Putnam at center, due to the injury to Jackson Powers-Johnson.

Analyzing a Critical Decision

Following the game, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll analyzed the performance of both players against the Cowboys.

"Well, yeah, we banked on the fact that he had a lot of experience in his background there, and so we took a look at him, really. We had a couple extra days, and we took a look at guys to see what we had available,” Carroll said.

“And he's a secure player, man. He does things right, and he's strong, and he doesn't get knocked around a whole lot. That came off of last year's film, and he showed that right off the bat. Still a little rusty at guard, and so this is just another week to go ahead and evaluate as well. But we did kind of bank on that he has background there, and he could make that switch, and we could count on him.

“And so, really the focus went to Will Putnam and to [Alex] Cappa playing at center and to see what did we have there with those guys. And so, we're kind of in the mode still again, and we will be this week again. We're going to give these guys a competitive opportunity to see who can battle to get the playing time."

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Following Las Vegas' loss to Dallas on Monday night , Raiders quarterback Geno Smith praised both Putnam and Meredith for having strong performances in new positions. Both players will likely be a critical duo for Smith and the Raiders' offense over the rest of the season.

Smith noted that aside from a few plays, he felt as if both players had solid performances and protected him about as well as possible. Still, both players could use improvement, which could come with additional playing time together and the rest of the Raiders' offensive line.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I thought Will [Putnam] and Jordan [Meredith] did a fine job. I thought they competed their butts off. Again, they were up against a really tough front. They got great guys on that side of the ball, especially in the interior, but I thought they did a great job at just competing and giving me as much time as they could,” Smith said.

“A few plays broke down here and there, but for the most part, I was able to set my foot and get the ball off. That's really all you can ask from the guys. Especially with Will [Putnam], his first start, and Jordan [Meredith] moving the guard, and we're already down Kolton [Miller], it sucked.

“With offensive linemen, you want continuity, so those guys have just got to keep working. I'm going to keep leaning on those guys, and keep preaching positivity to those guys. I know the world wants to get so negative, but I'm going to keep preaching positivity to those guys, because they work hard, and they deserve all the great things in the world."

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: