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    • Could an injury lead to improved play along this unit for the Las Vegas Raiders?
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    Could an injury lead to improved play along this unit for the Las Vegas Raiders?

    Online Niel Posted on

    The Las Vegas Raiders have been ravaged by injuries this season.

    To make matters worse, many of the injuries they suffered occurred in critical positions on the team. The Raiders lost a starting safety, a starting defensive end, a starting defensive tackle, several offensive linemen and a quarterback to injury.

    They suffered another blow on Sunday when veteran center Andre James went down with an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs. Rookie offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson moved from guard to center when James went down with an injury. The transition from guard to center is quite difficult. However, Powers-Johnson did so without ever practicing under center with the Raiders.

    “Yeah, (Andre) James won’t practice today,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “We’ll see how the rest of the week goes. And I really thought about Jackson (Powers-Johnson), going from left guard. to center, probably zero reps since OTAs maybe I can’t think if he had reps in camp

    “So I thought it was a very good job by him. I had no speed issues. Just to get in there and do the MIKE calls and just the communication. And we know that Jackson is a smart individual, obviously. And I thought the coaches did a good job preparing him for that situation, which was evident in the middle of the game.”

    Veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew also praised the rookie offensive lineman for his flexibility and success at the center position. Minshew explained that he felt comfortable playing behind Powers-Johnson and is looking to get more familiar with him at the center position this week in practice.

    It will be vital for the two to be on the same page as they prepare to face one of the top blitzing defenses in the National Football League.

    “That was great, man,” Minshew said. “He stepped in, in a position he hasn’t done much for us this year, which can be uncomfortable, especially for a young guy. He stepped in and did a great job. We had a lot to work on today on snaps, just getting more comfortable out there, getting comfortable with him being the guy making the calls. But he did a great job. He’s a super smart and locked-in guy, so I feel really good about him.”

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