Division rivals don't typically trade with each other in the NFL. But extenuating circumstances for the Los Angeles Chargers after losing Tyler Biadasz for an unknown but seemingly significant amount of time could push Joe Hortiz and Co. to pull off the impossible with the Las Vegas Raiders.
So long as everyone is open-minded.
While a number of suitable options are available on the open market at this point, and the Chargers could have any of them without giving so much as a Day 3 pick to their AFC West rival, one could also argue that there is a reason those players remain unsigned this close to the 2026 NFL season.
Raiders offensive lineman Jordan Meredith is on an NFL roster, though, and is a second-stringer, in fact. But based on some odd dynamics in the Las Vegas offensive line room (go figure!), Meredith could be had for a very low price. And both sides may have a vested interest in getting a deal done.
Chargers could dive into enemy territory for OL solutions after Tyler Biadasz nightmare
First, let's dive into who Meredith is. Still just 28 years old, the former UDFA has carved out a four-year career with the Raiders, and he is heading into Year 5. Meredith can play both guard spots and center, and that flexibility would make the equation a lot simpler for a Los Angeles offensive line that is in flux.
If Jake Slaughter moves to center full-time, then Meredith can play left guard. If the Chargers want to keep Slaughter at left guard, then Meredith can play center. If they jumble the pieces in another way, then Meredith can be a key depth piece and the first to rotate in at several different spots.
Bolts fans and the Los Angeles front office know better than anyone how critical it is to have bodies up front.
Now, a key question probably remains: Is Meredith even any good? I mean, if Las Vegas is ready to part ways with him after it had the worst offensive line in the NFL a year ago, then surely he's not worth sending a draft pick for. But that's not really the case here.
Two seasons ago, when the Raiders were at least a little bit less dysfunctional, Meredith was one of the best guards in the league. In nine games during the 2024 NFL season after beginning the year on the bench, Meredith earned a top-10 mark in the league at his position, according to PFF.
In typical Raider fashion, though, they moved him to center the next season for no particular reason, other than that Chip Kelly thought it was the best thing to do. Nobody has to convince Jim Harbaugh that Kelly is inept after how far his once-beloved San Francisco 49ers tumbled in Kelly's hands.
Coached by Pete Carroll's unqualified son, Meredith had a below-average campaign in 2025, earning a 57.7 offensive grade from PFF. But it's hard to pin the blame for last year's disaster in Las Vegas on him. Meredith was hardly responsible for the group's woes. In fact, he was, at times, a bright spot.
So, Chargers fans are probably wondering now why the Raiders would deal such a capable and versatile piece on the interior. The answer to that is fairly simple: Las Vegas' current regime didn't bring Meredith in, and they made tons of investments elsewhere this offseason.
The Raiders spent a gazillion dollars on Tyler Linderbaum and have drafted young interior players in the early rounds of the last two drafts. As a restricted free agent, Meredith is actually making more than these mid-round players, so if it's close, Las Vegas would save more money by dishing Meredith.
And it's not like Raiders GM John Spytek would ask for a fortune; a seventh-round pick would probably do the trick. Meredith may get released at cutdown day, so even a conditional seventh-rounder would likely be enough to grease the wheels.
Los Angeles and Las Vegas aren't supposed to work together. And the last time the Chargers added a former Raiders interior offensive lineman to the fold (Andre James), it's not like the Bolts were so incredibly happy that they plucked a fruit, if you can call it that, from a dying Silver and Black tree.
But Las Vegas may be motivated to move Meredith, adding draft capital in a rebuild and simplifying their equation on the offensive line. And Los Angeles may need to move fast to find a suitable solution to their injury woes brought on by Biadasz's sudden but glaring absence.
Meredith wouldn't set the world on fire, but he's worth a flyer and a late-round draft pick given to a division rival if he even just enhances the depth to protect Justin Herbert in a contending window. Plus, what are the Raiders going to do with a seventh-rounder? Probably nothing too good.
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