Jordan Meredith has been involved in two position battles this year; the second of those has proven transformative. Shifting from guard to center, Meredith is moving toward commandeering the starting job in Pete Carroll‘s first Raiders season.
Playing only guard last season (365 snaps at LG, 209 at RG), Meredith began his offseason battling for a starting position there. As training camp progressed, however, the Raiders have liked what they have seen from the former UDFA at center — to the point he now appears the favorite (per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore) to open the season as the starter.
Meredith looks to have nearly changed the Raiders’ snapper plan, which had been centered (no pun intended) around Jackson Powers-Johnson. But the 2024 second-round pick, after working at center during the offseason program, is now competing at right guard with free agency addition Alex Cappa. This would leave either a second-round pick or an ex-Tom Brady teammate who has 96 career starts on the bench.
“Jordan is really holding on to his spot,” Carroll said. “I really like him playing there for us. I think it just helps everybody, and that’s a real positive aspect if your front cover and your center can really communicate, be consistent and be on point all the time.”
Meredith, 27, made eight starts last season but just one over his previous two years. He has impressed a new coaching staff, however, to the point Powers-Johnson — the 2023 Rimington Award winner who became a No. 44 overall pick under Tom Telesco — may not start. Though, Cappa has missed more than a week with a rib injury and has not played in the preseason. That has given Powers-Johnson (14 rookie-year starts at guard and center) a chance to make his RG case; only 29 of Powers-Johnson’s 956 rookie-year snaps came at guard. Dylan Parham is set to start at left guard. Cappa has not worked as a backup since his 2018 rookie season; he is tied to a two-year, $11MM deal ($5.5MM guaranteed).
Cornerback also features a notable position battle. Although Eric Stokes is moving toward his second-chance season involving a Week 1 starting role, third-round rookie Darien Porter‘s grip on the other Las Vegas perimeter job may be slipping as a result of an unlikely source. Kyu Blu Kelly, a 2023 draftee already on his fifth team, is pushing Porter, per Bonsignore, who notes the young journeyman is “tightening his grip” on the first-string job.
Moving from Baltimore to Seattle to Green Bay to Washington to Vegas, Kelly played in four Raider games as a backup last season. His Seahawks stop also came during Carroll’s final season in charge. It would be quite the development if a player cut that many times in two seasons commandeered a starting job by Year 3 — even considering Carroll’s past developing Day 3 cornerback draftees — but Bonsignore notes he started the Raiders’ second preseason game. Carroll said Kelly (zero NFL starts) has “made the push” to be considered for a starting spot.
Stokes residing as the elder statesman among the team’s boundary corners shows how young the Raiders now are at this position. A potential addition is something to monitor as well. Barring a starter-level add, Kelly could have quite the opportunity. Though, such an ascent might be as a placeholder while Porter — chosen in Round 3 and used as a starter for most of the Raiders’ spring and summer work — develops into that role.