Raiders rule out RG Jackson Powers-Johnson (groin)

The Raiders’ stud right guard has now missed two practices in a row, putting him on the wrong side of questionable. The Raiders face a Chiefs defensive line led by DT Chris Jones this week. Playing without Powers-Johnson could be consequential.

Powers-Johnson was the only Raider who missed practice because of an injury. Former third-round pick Caleb Rogers filled in for JPJ on Sunday, though he was only needed for five snaps. Rogers would presumably draw the start if Powers-Johnson can’t go.

It’s a blow to the Vegas offensive line. Powers-Johnson suffered his ankle injury in Week 10 against the Broncos and did not return to the game. Pro Football Focus has graded Powers-Johnson as the NFL’s 44th best pass blocking guard this season and the league’s 24th best run blocking guard. The Raiders have the fourth worst rushing success rate this season.

Powers-Johnson will land on injured reserve, but it sounds like he’ll be evaluated later in the season to see if he can return. Powers-Johnson has started every game at right guard for the Raiders this season, earning a PFF grade of 63.8 while being one of the few bright spots of an underwhelming group. Backup Alex Cappa replaced Powers-Johnson in Week 10’s loss and will likely take over as the starter for the foreseeable future.

Powers-Johnson was carted off the field in Thursday night’s loss against the Broncos after having his ankle rolled up on. The second-year guard will now miss multiple weeks as a result of his injury and could be a candidate to land on injured reserve if the team believes he will miss four or more weeks. Veteran Alex Cappa took over in Powers-Johnson’s absence and will presumably be the starting right guard going forward.

Powers-Johnson got rolled up on a third-down sack, and after a quick look in the injury tent, the 22-year-old offensive lineman was carted off the field. Alex Cappa has taken Powers-Johnson’s spot at guard.

Wilson is not yet a high-impact rotational player and losing valuable in-game repetitions will not help his development. Hopefully, he can return soon. Backup rookie G Jackson Powers-Johnson (illness) will be a game-time decision but fellow rookie LB Tommy Eichenberg (knee) will make his NFL debut.

Entering his second season, O’Connell will be the backup to Gardner Minshew heading into Week 1. With the quarterback pecking order now determined, Pierce is set to keep both guys on the bench without risk of further injury. It is an interesting approach as backup quarterbacks generally could use the extra reps, especially one entering his second season. However, this may indicate that O’Connell has a chance to start at some point in the season and the Raiders do not want to risk an injury to their viable “1b” quarterback. Carter Bradley and Nathan Peterman will split QB reps to finish the Raiders’ preseason. Pierce also added that rookie OL Jackson Powers-Johnson won’t play until the regular season as he was recently cleared from a stint on the PUP list due to a concussion.

Rated as the top center in the country according to 247Sports, Powers-Johnson (6’033/328) wasted little time establishing himself in the Oregon offensive line rotation, logging 126 snaps across the three interior line positions, even playing defensive line in the Alamo Bowl. He was charged with just one pressure allowed and a sensational 85.9 PFF pass block grade as a true freshman in 2021. As a sophomore JPJ spent most of his 400 reps rotating through at right guard while again excelling in pass protection, allowing just two pressures with a 99.4% blocking efficiency and 84th percentile PFF grades in both the run and pass game. It wasn’t until 2023 when he finally transitioned to center, promptly earning the second-highest PFF pass block grade in the Power Five with just one pressure and a pristine 0.6% blown block rate on run plays. Powers-Johnson’s elite play earned him Unanimous First-Team All-American accolades to go with winning the Rimington Trophy, which is annually awarded to the nation’s best center. The year-three declaree would go on to solidify his status as the 2024 class’s top interior lineman with an outstanding Senior Bowl performance where he stonewalled every pass rusher he faced that week. He pushed out 30 bench reps (88th%) and a 32” vertical (94th%) in addition to all the position drills at the Combine, but didn’t perform any movement testing.