Jackson

Powers-Johnson

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.