With Jackson Powers-Johnson going on injured reserve and potentially missing the rest of the 2025 season, it sounds like the Las Vegas Raiders’ coaching staff has made the decision to put rookie Caleb Rogers at the top of the depth chart at right guard. “I couldn’t think of a better opportunity week one as a starter to make me better than to go against someone like Quinnen Williams,” Rogers said on Tuesday via Jesse Merrick of Silver & Black Sports Network.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise since free-agent addition Alex Cappa has been the Raiders’ second-string right guard all season. This decision also plays a big factor in rookie running back Ashton Jeanty’s development, and given how the campaign has gone so far, one has to wonder which lineman gives him the best chance for success.
Jeanty has already had to fight for nearly every rushing yard he’s gotten this season, constantly facing defenders in the backfield and having to get yards after contact before even reaching the line of scrimmage. So, who best sets up the No. 6 overall pick for success to help him build confidence/momentum heading into next season needs to be a priority.
Cappa has eight years of experience on his side and has filled in at right guard for the roughly 180 plays that Powers-Johnson has been sidelined for this fall. However, the veteran has played poorly when called upon, especially when it comes to the ground game.
According to Pro Football Focus, his 46.3 run blocking grade ranks 77th out of the 83 who have recorded at least 59 run-blocking snaps in 2025. Also, this has been a two-year issue for the former Cincinnati Bengal, finishing 64th out of 78 qualifiers at the position with a 54.9 mark as a run blocker last year. That’s part of the reason why the Bengals released him in the offseason.
Meanwhile, a lot of Raider Nation has grown frustrated with the fact that Rogers has only been active for one out of nine games and hasn’t recorded a regular-season snap yet. So, this is the perfect opportunity for the team to finally get something out of its third-round pick. However, it may come with some growing pains.
Rogers exclusively lined up at left guard during the preseason, recording all 120 of his snaps at that spot, and more importantly, all 44 run-blocking opportunities. Additionally, he posted a subpar 54.3 grade as a run-blocker while primarily going up against backups and practice squad players.
On top of that, part of the problem with the Texas Tech product is that he has limited experience at guard, primarily lining up at tackle for the Red Raiders. A little more than 300 of his roughly 4,300 career snaps came on the interior offensive line, and just 115 were at right guard, per PFF. Also, his highest single-season run-blocking grade was just 69.5.
As a result, Rogers’ inexperience and Cappa’s ineffectiveness could make second-year pro Will Putnam an insurance policy in this situation.
Putnam primarily played center during the preseason, but he did earn a 68.9 run-blocking grade and recorded a handful of snaps at right guard over the summer. Also, he entered last week’s game at left guard when Dylan Parham went down and logged a 67.7 mark in the ground game. Take that with a grain of salt, though, since it was a small sample size with just 11 run-blocking snaps.
As far as who best sets up Jeanty for success between Cappa and Rogers, it’s a bit of a toss-up given the unknown surrounding the rookie. But, in my opinion, the Raiders know what they have in the veteran, and it isn’t a good player, especially as a run-blocker.
So, the coaching staff is making the right decision to give the young guy an opportunity to prove himself and build some chemistry with the young back. Then again, a case could be made that Putnam actually offers the best solution and a happy medium, bringing future value and a slightly better track record to the table.
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