The Las Vegas Raiders struggled up front last year, but they've re-signed Jordan Meredith and Charles Snowden.
The Las Vegas Raiders had issues on both sides of the line of scrimmage last season, but they’re bringing back a pair of lineman via free agent tenders, according to an article written by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk via the NFL’s transaction wire.
Offensive lineman Jordan Meredith and defensive end Charles Snowden both signed their tender earlier this week, according to Williams. Meredith was a restricted free agent, while Snowden was an exclusive rights free agent, which means Snowden can now only play for the Raiders or sit out the season.
Meredith is the more significant of the two signings here. He’s 28, and he played in 13 games with 11 starts last season. He struggled to make the transition to center, but that’s no longer an issue now that the Raiders have signed Tyler Linderbaum to a massive deal in free agency.
Meredith also started at right guard, so he’ll likely be part of a camp competition as the Raiders continue to overhaul their offensive line. He joined the team in 2022 on a futures contract, according to Williams, and he’s played in a total of 45 games so far with 20 starts over four seasons.
Snowden’s situation is somewhat different. He’s also 28, and he signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent back in 2021, and he played in two games as a rookie. He joined the Raiders practice squad in 2023 and has made the active roster in each of the last two seasons.
Snowden projects as a depth piece, although he does have some stats that could make him intriguing. He’s played in 31 games with 18 starts, and he’s posted a total of 67 tackles, 4.5 sacks, an interception and six pass breakups, so there is some potential to be explored.
It’s easy to dismiss these as minor moves, but these line makeovers could be just as important as the moves to add quarterback Kirk Cousins and presumably draft Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in the upcoming draft.
Meredith could be one of the players charged with protecting Cousins and Mendoza, and Snowden could have a larger role if the Raiders decide to do a reworked version of the trade involving defensive end Maxx Crosby.
New offensive line coach Rick Dennison is a long-time colleague of coach Klint Kubiak, while Rob Leonard is new to the staff, too. That means both players get a fresh start and a chance to start over after last year’s 2-14 campaign.