Raiders offensive line: Jordan Meredith’s return will make for lively competition at guard

Newcomer Alex Cappa along with Dylan Parham should bring out best of the group

As an exclusive rights free agent, Jordan Meredith’s return to the Las Vegas Raiders was always an eventuality.

Exclusive rights free agents (ERFAs) are any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. These type of free agents have less flexibility than other types meaning, if the player’s original team offers a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on credited seasons), the player can’t negotiate with other teams. And has no recourse but to sign the one-year minimum offer or retire.

Thus, Meredith’s return to Silver & Black by the one-year pact on March 24 was mere formality. The offensive lineman is part of a slew of Raiders that re-signed this offseason and after seeing what the 27-year-old undrafted free agent produced as an eight-game starter in 2024, it’s easy to see why he was brought back.

If you use Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades as your be-all, end-all in offensive lineman evaluation, then you’ll dig the marks Meredith garnered from the group. Earning an 80.8 overall grade, PFF ranked the Western Kentucky product 10th out of 135 guards. The 75.7 and 78.4 grades in pass blocking and run blocking, respectively, put Meredith at 16th and 14th among the guard position.

PFF also charted Meredith with three penalties but zero sacks allowed, which is the top field in terms of the 135 guards the group compared the Raiders’ lineman to.

Meredith provided a solidifying presence on Las Vegas’ offensive line after bein inserted into the starting lineup in Week 6. From then to Week 15, Meredith played 100 to 91 percent of the snaps until injuries forced him to miss Weeks 16 and 17 before not playing a snap on offense in the regular season finale.

Meredith’s ascension did allow the Raiders to place 2024 second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson at center, but the talented Oregon product shifted back to guard due to Meredith’s ailments with Andre James reverting back to the pivot.

With Meredith back, along with free agent signing Alex Cappa, the offseason competition for starting spots along Las Vegas front five is going to be lively.

The Raiders releasing James, there’s a vacancy at center. That paves the way for Powers-Johnson to become the full-time center by winning the gig. The only other lineman listed as a center on the roster is fiery undrafted free agent Will Putnam, who spent the 2024 season on Las Vegas’ practice squad.

Las Vegas best five this past season were: Kolton Miller at left tackle, Meredith at left guard, Powers-Johnson at the pivot, Dylan Parham at right guard, and 2024 rookie DJ Glaze at right tackle. James was the backup after getting hurt while Thayer Munford Jr. began as the starting right tackle before losing his gig to Glaze. But provides valuable starting experience, swing tackle role, and jumbo tight end in certain alignments.

The fight for the guard spots will make the entire group better for it.

According to The Athletics’ Vic Tafur, Raiders general manager John Spytek envisions Powers-Johnson, Parham, Cappa, and Meredith to compete for two starting spots at guard. Powers-Johnson, Parham, and Meredith will also compete for the starting center role.

Meredith, an unheralded prospect out of Western Kentucky, has the versatility to play at the pivot or either guard spot, which should intensify the fight for starting snaps.

Meredith started his NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 then landed with the Raiders in 2022. After a short stint with the Cleveland Browns, Meredith found his way back to the Raiders practice squad. Inked to a future/reserve contract in January of 2023, Meredith went on to showcase he can play at the NFL level.

Showcasing lateral movement with good vision and anticipation, Meredith shows improved anchor and base and ability to hang tough on the interior. The 6-foot-2 and 300-pounder should have the inside track at left guard even though the Raiders roster is far from finalized.

Cappa, meanwhile, is looking to rebound after a tough 2024 campaign that saw PFF grade him as one of the worst guards in the league. Garnering a 50.5 overall grade (110th out of 135 guards) with a 39.7 pass blocking and 54.9 run blocking marks from the group, PFF charted Cappa with eight sacks allowed — 134th out of 135.

Spytek and minority owner Tom Brady are well aware of what Cappa brings to the table as Spytek was part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers front office that drafted Cappa. And Brady was the quarterback behind the offensive lineman’s protection.

A right guard by trade, Cappa — a third-round pick (94th overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft — has the experience to make a go for a starting nod. At 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, the 30-year-old Cappa does represent a bigger option at right guard than the 6-foot-3 and 285-pound Parham.

Still, Parham has started 48 of 51 games in his three-year career since sporting Silver & Black and will likely put up a strong fight, especially considering 2025 is his contract year after being a third-round pick (90th overall) in the 2022 draft.

As mentioned above, Las Vegas’ roster building continues.

Free agency is still ongoing and the 2025 edition of the draft happens in late April. And even more competition could be added to the Raiders offensive line.