The Jordan Raiders issued offensive lineman Jordan Meredith a right of first refusal RFA tender early last week, and the 28 year old is set to return to Las Vegas in 2026 after a rough 2025 season.
Meredith, a former UDFA from Western Kentucky has been with the team since 2022 where Las Vegas signed him as a futures contract. Meredith has spent time between the practice squad and 53 man roster till in 2024 he earned the chance to start down the stretch. Through his eight games, Meredith allowed just 10 pressures and a QB hit, while also ranking among the top of the NFL in ypc lead blocking with 4.4 yards per carry.
Las Vegas transitioned Meredith to center in 2025, and he struggled allowing four sacks, three hits, and 21 pressures while also having only 3.1 yards per carry as a lead blocker. Like most of the teams offensive lineman, he saw immediate regression under former offensive line coach Brennan Carroll, with the Raiders also transitioning away from a traditional zone blocking system that was ran in 2024 under Luke Getsy. The Raiders and Chip Kelly transitioned to a mix of gap and zone till Kelly was fired in week 11. Meredith was injured in week 12 vs the Browns, and placed on IR which ended his season.
The Raiders replaced Meredith with 2025 third round selection Caleb Rogers, who finished the season allowing four sacks and 12 pressures, though two sacks came in his final week vs the Chiefs. Additionally, Rogers did perform well as a run blocker with 4 yards per carry as a lead blocker, and the former Texas Tech product could figure into the teams mix for the 2026 season. Las Vegas signed Tyler Linderbaum to anchor their center role, which shifts Meredith back to guard, a position he’s played naturally over his career, unlike never playing center till last season. In addition, Rogers showed success in his limited snaps, though the Raiders can’t bank on him being the plug and play starter. Additionally to Rogers, 2024 third rounder DJ Glaze who struggled at tackle largely due to a lack of athleticism, poor foot speed, and other factors could see a kick into guard. Glaze allowed 10 sacks and 51 pressures in 2025, a steep decline from the three sacks and 54 pressures allowed in 2024 which like other Raiders lineman was consistent under Brennan Carroll. Glaze, notably during predraft process had been discussed as potentially shifting into guard and Las Vegas could move their former 77th overall selection into guard, where he’d likely succeed as it limits his athleticism concerns, and utilizes his run blocking and power to his advantage. Glaze seems a natural fit for Las Vegas to keep on their offensive line in some form due to his experience, strength, and run blocking status where he’s averaged 4.3 yards per carry lead blocking throughout his first two seasons. Additionally, at just 23 years old Glaze has good size and he’s young enough to bank on developing into his frame at guard.
Meredith is going to have a tough path towards pushing for a clear cut starting role, with Jackson Powers-Johnson lined up at left guard leaving just two spots open for competition. The benefit for Meredith, comes with the transition back to a zone blocking system that he excelled at early in his career under Josh McDaniels, albeit during pre-season, but also during his time with Luke Getsy. Meredith has a track record of success with showing standout performances during preseason along with the end of his 2024 season leading to a good belief that he should at least go back to an average guard under new coaching and a similar system. The former UDFA will very likely be on the Raiders roster in some format, as he’s played near 1400 career snaps split between all three interior spots, which is crucial for a team to have as versatile depth. Meredith is only 28 years old, showed previous quality plus traits as a blocker, and does have the experience in a system similar to what Las Vegas will run in 2026 which points towards him potentially returning to form, and also potentially taking over the teams right guard spot early in the season.
