Raiders' Center Competition Nearing Closure as Meredith Leads

The Las Vegas Raiders surprised fans and analysts during training camp by announcing a competition for the starting center position. The contenders are Jordan Meredith and Jackson Powers-Johnson, with the latter initially seen as the favorite due to his college experience and a promising rookie season in 2024 where he played both center and guard. Interestingly, the team had been considering Meredith for the center role since OTAs, as he shared in an interview with ESPN. Throughout camp, both players rotated at the position, but recent reports from Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal suggest Meredith has taken a commanding lead. Bonsignore stated on the Vegas Nation podcast that Meredith has been consistently working with the starting unit for several days, implying that his position as the starting center might be secured for now. However, the situation remains open, and the team could still make adjustments. Meanwhile, Powers-Johnson's best chance to start appears to be at right guard, a position he has been competing for with free-agent signing Alex Cappa. Cappa, who had a challenging season last year, is expected to start at left guard, where Dylan Parham is t...