charles snowden
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Las Vegas Raiders DE Charles Snowden.
The Las Vegas Raiders are booting up their offseason program, but had a couple of roster decisions to square away. The roster is far from complete, as the team still has a whole draft class to go through, but they continue to make free agent moves.
Prior to free agency, the Raiders placed exclusive rights tenders on defensive end Charles Snowden and offensive lineman Jordan Meredith. Neither appeared to get much free agent interest, so the team didn’t face competition to sign them.
It was announced on the NFL transaction wire that the Raiders have officially signed Snowden and Meredith to contracts. Neither of these signings is surprising.
Snowden has been with the Raiders since 2023 and notched 3.0 sacks in 15 games and nine starts. He should know new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard very well, considering he coached the defensive line the last three seasons. He’s proven to be a dependable depth piece for the team.
Meredith was the Week 1 starter at center for the Raiders last season after starting eight games at guard in 2024. He started 11 games last season, but injuries led to him missing time. With Tyler Linderbaum getting signed in free agency, Meredith’s days as a center for the Raiders are over, but he showed promise at guard. He’ll compete for one of the starting guard spots.
Kirk Cousins Talks Linderbaum
Linderbaum is now the highest-paid center in NFL history, so he’s the leader of the Raiders’ offensive line going forward. The team just signed quarterback Kirk Cousins, and he’s very excited to play behind Linderbaum.
“Tyler at center is going to be a great fit. I think he’s a stud pass blocker, run blocker. I think he’s going to fit great in the [outside zone] scheme,” Cousins said in an interview with the Raiders. “So, I can’t wait to start taking snaps from him and kind of build it right there up the middle with Tyler and Ashton [Jeanty].”
Cousins was surprised that a player like Linderbaum was even available in free agency.
“I think it’s rare to get a center of that caliber available in the free agent market,” Cousins said. “So, typically, you’re not going to find a guy that easily and so when you do, you want to take advantage. I just think his play strength, his athleticism, his toughness. He’s got a lot of years of tape showing that. … I plan to put a lot on him. I always told my centers, ‘The more you can handle and the more I can be thinking about the back end, the better. So we’ll try to start building that rapport early, and I think it’ll lead to some strong play.”
OL Still a Need Headed Into the Draft
Outside of spending a fortune on Linderbaum in free agency, the Raiders have mostly focused on bringing back players from last season to the offensive line. It appears they believe the group will be much better with the addition of Linderbaum and improved coaching.
It’s possible that it will be the case. There is some young talent on the offensive line. It would certainly help the Raiders a lot if players like Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers and DJ Glaze took a leap in 2026.