Competition is the name of the game for the Las Vegas Raiders in their first training camp under Klint Kubiak. That word may cause some fans to traumatically recall the recent and short "comPETE" era under Pete Carroll, but some genuine battles are set to take place with much more talented players.
Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza vying for the Week 1 nod under center is a big one to monitor, and the depth chart needs to be settled at numerous other key positions. But one battle has flown under the radar: Jordan Meredith and Will Putnam fighting for a spot at the bottom of the OL room.
But here's the thing: The competition between the two could be in vain. Las Vegas isn't certain to keep enough offensive linemen to roster either one of them. A strong push from one or both, though, could change the equation for the Raiders in an outsized way for what is a deep depth battle.
Las Vegas Raiders' backup IOL battle could have wide-ranging roster effects
Let's look at the math: With only 53 spots on the roster, the Silver and Black are almost certain to keep 25 offensive players, 25 defenders and three specialists. How exactly they allocate those 25 spots on each side of the ball, though, is very much in question and could be sorted out at camp.
Las Vegas, in my opinion, has eight locks for the offensive line room in tackles Kolton Miller, DJ Glaze and Charles Grant, guards Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers, and Spencer Burford, center Tyler Linderbaum and chess piece Trey Zuhn III. This unit's versatility could mean eight is enough.
A lot of NFL teams keep nine in this group, though, including Kubiak last year with the Seattle Seahawks. While the Raiders brought in a handful of promising youngsters through undrafted free agency, Meredith and Putnam figure to be the two competing for that ninth and final spot.
Meredith was one of the NFL's best guards during the 2024 season, according to Pro Football Focus, as he finished ninth in overall grade, 13th in run-blocking grade and 16th in pass-blocking grade. Meeting minimum snap requirements, Meredith rose to fifth, ninth and 11th, respectively.
He struggled last year playing center, though, as he finished in the bottom quarter of NFL players at the position in terms of PFF grade. But Meredith's ability to play multiple spots on the interior and his strong track record at guard are both points in his column to make the 53-man roster.
Putnam also seems to be coveted by this regime. After landing in Las Vegas as a UDFA in 2024, John Spytek kept him around last year and even stuck him on the 53-man roster, despite not showing much in the preseason. Putnam also looked pretty lost at times in limited regular-season chances.
Again, though, his ability to play multiple spots, and the fact that Putnam is dirt cheap to keep around, even more so than Meredith, are notches for him to stick around with the Raiders. Plus, Putnam is a big and nasty player for the interior, which never hurts.
If one or both of these players show out during summer camp, or conversely, neither makes their mark, it could dramatically change how the Silver and Black structure their team. For instance, if Las Vegas keeps Meredith or Putnam, they have to keep one less player at another spot.
This could mean that something like a third quarterback (Aidan O'Connell), a fifth running back (Roman Hemby), a seventh wide receiver (Shedrick Jackson) or a fourth tight end (Carter Runyon) could be left off the roster and ultimately not return.
Should neither Putnam nor Meredith bring their best stuff, though, then the hope would still be alive for said positions and proposed players above. This battle could end up being all for naught, though, as the Raiders could simply choose to keep someone else, no matter how Meredith or Putnam plays.
The NFL is a cruel business, and tough decisions need to be made.
Jordan Meredith predicted to make Raiders 53-man roster over Will Putnam
On Wednesday, The Athletic's Sam Warren revealed his 53-man roster prediction for the Las Vegas Raiders. In this exercise, he had the Silver and Black keeping Meredith over Putnam, but with a not-insignificant caveat.
"Meredith, who’s been the starting center most of the past two seasons, will compete with Putnam for the backup job in camp," Warren stated. "The restricted free agent tender he signed in April makes him easier to move if the team chooses."
This equation could come down to financials, as it often does for teams. According to Spotrac, releasing Meredith leaves a dead cap hit of $0 and frees up roughly $2.64 million in salary cap space. Releasing Putnam has no penalty, but it also has no financial benefit, either.
It also stands to reason that Meredith may have some value as a trade candidate as well, which has been floated by some outlets. Spytek would be wise to get any capital he could for Meredith, as that draft pick is likely to be more valuable than any offensive lineman who is ninth in the pecking order.
Simply put, this Meredith/Putnam training camp battle will be interesting to watch. It may end up being in vain if neither makes the team, but how both perform could have wide-ranging effects on how the Raiders structure their eventual 53-man team.
That is an outsized effect for what could be the ninth offensive lineman.
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