While the Las Vegas Raiders appear to be set at left tackle, center and right tackle, it would appear that at least one of the starting guard spots are up for grabs, and quite possibly both.
According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the Raiders were rotating Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith at left guard on Thursday, something they’ve been doing throughout the early portion of OTAs.
During the team’s last open session, veteran guard Alex Cappa looked to be locked in at right guard. However, Reed noted that 2025 third-round pick, Caleb Rogers, did receive some first-team reps behind Cappa at the team’s latest practice.
“Rookie Caleb Rogers rotated in behind Alex Cappa to get some first-team snaps at right guard,” Reed wrote. “Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith continue to go back and forth at left guard. Given that all OTA practices are padless, this competition really won’t intensify until training camp.”
Truth be told, the Raiders should not just hand Cappa the starting job in 2025, so this is a positive development.
Cappa struggled mightily with the Cincinnati Bengals last season, with the 30-year-old giving up eight sacks and 51 pressures in 774 pass-blocking snaps. Cappa also posted lackluster (to put it nicely) Pro Football Focus grades of 39.7 in pass protection and 54.9 in run-blocking.
As offensive coordinator Chip Kelly noted, it’s still far too early to gauge much from what players are doing on the field with no pads, but there are still some things he’s looking for.
“It’s the most difficult because there are no pads,” Kelly said. “It’s (more about), ‘How are they picking up schemes? How are they working together? Are they making the right calls? Are they identifying the defense in the proper manner so we’re on the right people?’”
“They’re doing a good job from that standpoint, but you still can’t get a full evaluation of ’em,” Kelly concluded.
We would still consider Cappa the favorite at right guard because of his experience, but clearly the door is at least slightly ajar for Rogers to break through and take the job from his veteran teammate.
