Raiders refusal to play rookie guard reaches new heights in Week 12 loss

Las Vegas Raiders fans have essentially been begging the fanbase to play rookie guard Caleb Rogers ever since Jackson Powers-Johnson suffered a serious injury. Head coach Pete Carroll has been hesitant to insert Rogers into the lineup. In Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys, Carroll successfully avoided such a scenario by moving center Jordan Meredith to right guard and inserting Will Putnam at center.

It was an absolute disaster, with both Putnam and Meredith being dominated versus the Cowboys. Fans expected Carroll to respond and make changes against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12. He did not, as the Raiders opened Sunday's Week 12 game with the same combination of Putnam and Meredith inside, despite Rogers being active.

The Raiders offensive line was even worse versus the Browns than it was against the Cowboys. They allowed a season-high 10 sacks, the most they've given up this millenium. Making matters worse, veteran guard Alex Cappa replaced Putnam at center when he suffered an injury. Putnam then re-entered the game when Meredith went down.

That offered Carroll two opportunities to get Rogers into the lineup. He declined both. Carroll seems intent to live and die (the latter) with underperforming players like Putnam and Cappa. Offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired after Sunday's game.

The Raiders' offensive line sorely misses Powers-Johnson and Kolton Miller. In a lost season, they should be offering rookies like Rogers playing time. Instead, they prefer to get embarrassed while fielding players like Putnam and Cappa who obviously don't have a long-term future. It's becoming unexplainable.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders refusal to play rookie guard reaches new heights vs. Browns