The Las Vegas Raiders' offensive line has been a mess during the 2025 NFL season. After investing in the unit in the early rounds of the last two drafts and retaining all five starters from last year's average group, the Raiders have given up the most sacks and have the worst rushing attack in the league.
Offensive line coach Brennan Carroll is largely responsible for this blunder, as the issues began as soon as Las Vegas started needlessly jumbling things around. Injuries certainly haven't helped this group, but they have just lacked communication and cohesiveness, which falls on the coaches.
In Week 14 against the Denver Broncos' elite defensive front, however, the Raiders seemingly turned a corner. No, the results weren't much better, but the team's center and right guard both fared just fine. Unfortunately for Jordan Meredith, he was sidelined while this was unfolding.
Jordan Meredith could be odd man out in Las Vegas after Week 14
Meredith was great playing guard for Las Vegas in 2024 after Jackson Powers-Johnson was moved to center when the team benched Andre James. This year, however, the new regime decided that Meredith was a better fit at center, a position he had never played before.
While the results were a bit mixed, it seemed like Meredith was starting to find his footing at the position. But an injury to Powers-Johnson once again meant change for Meredith, as he was slid back to guard so that Will Putnam could start at center.
He didn't play badly at guard, but an injury held him out of Week 13's game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Backup guard Alex Cappa mysteriously started at center in his absence, and rookie third-rounder Caleb Rogers started at right guard. Things, expectedly, were not much better.
With him cleared to play in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, however, Raiders fans expected that Meredith would return to the starting lineup. Fans just didn't know where. Well, it turned out that Meredith did not return to the starting lineup, as he was relegated to a special teams role on Sunday.
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When asked about the decision not to re-insert Meredith into the starting lineup during the post-game press conference, head coach Pete Carroll, of course, had an answer, but it's not a great one.
"Jordan could play in the game. He could have played in the game. We worked him out early, and he could have played, but if we didn't have to play him, I think we all thought it would be better for him not to play," Carroll said. "I want to see [Cappa], how he did. I've been very impressed with [Cappa] in his two games playing at center."
In fairness to Carroll, Cappa has played a lot better at center recently. Rogers also dominated against the Broncos on Sunday, and with both of these players under contract next season, and Meredith set to hit the market as a restricted free agent, the writing could be on the wall.
This is eerily similar to when Powers-Johnson didn't get to play in his first week back from injury, and Raider Nation knows how Carroll seems to feel about him. It looks like maybe Meredith is heading toward the same fate.
Upgrades are both needed and expected on the offensive line this offseason, and considering Meredith's deal expires at the end of this year, he could be the odd man out. If the Carrolls had just kept things the same from the jump, perhaps this conversation wouldn't be happening.
But the way things are panning out, this is a necessary conversation, and one that may eventually and regretably send Meredith packing.