Pete Carroll reveals winner of offensive line battle

By making minimal moves during the offseason to shore up the offensive line, the Las Vegas Raiders put faith in their current group to keep new additions such as Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty upright.

However, the Raiders sparked some confusion during training camp when 2024 second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson was fighting for his spot as starting center. Instead, the team was using Jordan Meredith at center while Powers-Johnson slid over to guard to compete with the likes of Alex Cappa and Dylan Parham. It was uncertain if it was a real competition or just a tactic by head coach Pete Carroll to confirm to the team that nothing was going to be handed out.

After Saturday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, Carroll answered that question.

Carroll appears to have confirmed what the offensive line will look like for the Raiders in Week One.

When asked about the position battle, Carroll gave the impression that he was rolling with Meredith as his starting center to start the season.

“Jordan Meredith has done a really good job. … He’s really taken that thing over and done a fine job with it,” Carroll said. “JPJ’s battling at the guard spot, and we know we’ve got a real physical guy who’s fired up and helps us out as well. The moves were well chosen, and I think we’re going to benefit from them.”