In another episode of “How Many Ways Can an Offense Implode,” the Las Vegas Raiders will head into Sunday down yet another starting offensive lineman.
Jordan Meredith, the latest casualty, joins Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson on the team’s ever-expanding injury reserve—also known as the place where Raiders starters go to disappear for the season. Things just can’t get any more comical at this point.
Meredith opened the year as the starting center before being relocated to right guard once Powers-Johnson went down. Naturally, that experiment ended with Will Putnam taking over at center. Let’s be honest, nothing says stability like shuffling the deck chairs on a ship already halfway underwater.
Things keep getting worse for the Raiders offense…
Putnam has struggled, which is shocking only to those who haven’t watched the Raiders’ offense this year. His issues have prompted an obvious question: why not keep Meredith at center and plug in Alex Cappa at right guard? The coaching staff, of course, opted for the less intuitive approach. We can presume because the simplest solution rarely aligns with this organization’s creative vision of football.
Now, with Meredith sidelined, the Raiders are once again cycling through their increasingly thin list of available linemen. The most likely configuration is Putnam remaining at center and Cappa stepping in at right guard. However, there’s a more intriguing option if Las Vegas is feeling adventurous. Cappa has experience at center—fleeting, but in Raiders terms, practically a résumé—and the team could give third-round pick Caleb Rogers some long-overdue snaps at guard.
With six games left in a season already on life support, the Raiders still treat rookie playing time like a hazard to be avoided. For depth, the Raiders activated Atonio Mafi. Obviously, someone has to stand on the sideline in uniform.
Social media critics quickly pointed out the broader implications. Pete Carroll designated Aidan O’Connell as the emergency quarterback once again. All of this has only fueled the belief that protecting Geno Smith’s job is the franchise’s top priority, leaving an already depleted offense looking more conceptual than functional.
Sunday’s game will simply underline that the injuries are unfortunate, but the decisions behind them are entirely self-inflicted.
*Top Photo: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports