Silver And Black Pride
Training camp is finally here as the rookies on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster reported on Thursday, and the veterans will join them this upcoming Tuesday. The Raiders also had some good news just ahead of camp with Jermod McCoy and Fernando Mendoza signing their contracts, so the entire team should be in attendance to kick off the summer practice sessions, barring any surprises next week. On that note, let’s get to this week’s mailbag!
A: Jackson Powers-Johnson has been a popular subject when it comes to this topic during the offseason, especially after the Raiders signed a new starting center (Tyler Linderbaum) and used another third-round pick on a guard (Trey Zuhn III). I definitely agree with the thought that Powers-Johnson will be a trade candidate if he doesn’t win one of the two open starting interior offensive line spots during training camp.
With Zuhn and Caleb Rogers both having more years left on their rookie contracts than JPJ does, the organization has a pair of young guards to develop outside of the 2024 second-round pick. So if he’s not starting, there’s less reason to keep him on the roster, especially since that likely means Rogers or Zuhn is already ahead of Powers-Johnson on the depth chart.
That being said, I think JPJ should win one of the starting jobs because he’s the most talented lineman in the competition. But he has to prove it, and he’s been inconsistent so far. To be clear, I’d imagine he’d get traded rather than being cut outright. The return would probably be pretty minimal, but I’d be willing to bet that some team liked him enough during the draft a couple of years ago to be up for buying low and bet on his potential.
As for other potential surprise cuts, I dove into this a little more than a week ago and listed five players (other than JPJ) who could be on the chopping block. Probably the biggest shocker would be Malcolm Koonce!
A: I lean toward the offensive line, and defensive tackle isn’t too far behind. The other three positions you mentioned are certainly up there, too. However, the sticking point for me is that there are a lot of young players who I’d like to see get playing time during the season to help gauge if they can be part of the long-term plan.
We already went over the o-line, and the interior d-line is full of young guys outside of Adam Butler and Benito Jones. Wide receiver has Jack Bech, Malik Benson and Dont’e Thornton, while the linebacker depth includes the Bergs, both of whom are still on their rookie contracts. Granted, the options are limited at free safety; more on that later.
So, it comes down to this: In a season where we’re expecting the Raiders to be rebuilding (i.e., long shots to be playoff contenders), would you rather see old guys on one-year contracts like Devin White, Jamal Adams and Elandon Roberts, or youngins who are...
