Raiders guard, after being cut 5 times, shows persistence pays off

Jordan Meredith was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent in May of 2021.

Since then, he has been waived five times by three different teams, including the Raiders.

But persistence often pays off. It has for Meredith.

The 6-foot-2, 300-pound guard out of Western Kentucky has worked himself into a prominent role with the Raiders this season.

The Review-Journal sat down with Meredith this week to learn a little more about him:

RJ: How easy or difficult has it been to have patience during your NFL journey thus far?

Meredith: “I think it’s all about seeing what’s in front of you, right? Realizing there is an opportunity and when your chance comes, taking advantage of it. Making the most of it. There’s no specific moment when it’s going to happen. But when it does, you want to be ready.”

RJ: Heard you had a wrestling background, but you’re saying no. Any chance you wrestled for fun?

Meredith: “For sure. I didn’t wrestle for school or as a sport, but I did wrestle with my buddies all during high school. Had a buddy who was a big-time wrestler, so I would do it with him back-and-forth.”

RJ: Can other sports help with what you’re able to do as an offensive lineman?

Meredith: “I think all sports outside of football have helped. Especially at a young age, learning different techniques, being agile in different ways. Combining all of that and then specializing in football will help get you to the highest level.”

RJ: What has pushed you most to make it in the NFL?

Meredith: “I’m going to go with not letting my teammates down. Everybody knows the name on the back of the jersey. I think when you get into the locker room and you’re with the guys, you don’t want to fail them.”

RJ: Do you get nervous before games?

Meredith: “Yes. I get the butterflies, sure. I think it shows that you care.”

RJ: How important is it to be versatile in what you do?

Meredith: “It’s really important. They only carry so many guys on the offensive line. A few guys go down and you have to be ready to play all positions. It also just makes you more valuable.”

RJ: How tough is it to stay in the NFL?

Meredith: “You’re only as good as your last play. You have to continue to improve each day. You have to show up and show improvement on the field. Day-to-day, year-to-year, you have to continue to improve. The second you become stagnant, (that’s) the second the clock starts ticking.”

RJ: You were born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and attended Western Kentucky, which is in the same town. How cool was that?

Meredith: “That buddy I wrestled with ended up going to Western Kentucky as well. His dad was a coach there, so I already had connections inside the school. My mom was a teacher there. My sister went there. Being around it, it was the best fit for me. It was nice being able to stay in the hometown and compete and have the familiar faces.”

RJ: Best thing about Western Kentucky?

Meredith: “The (mascot), Big Red! It has to be Big Red. He’s sweet, man.”

RJ: Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has said how well you have played this season is not talked about enough. What does that mean to you?

Meredith: “It’s always nice to have support. But at the end of the day, it’s about taking advantage of the opportunity, having that next-man-up mentality. And when your name is called, just going after it and not letting anybody down and helping us play a good offensive game.”

RJ: Best thing about Las Vegas?

Meredith: “Oh, man. My goodness. There’s plenty. The weather is always nice here. It’s always sunny. The food is really good. This is like a true city and where I’m from is a lot smaller. So there is a lot more to do here. There is so much going on at all times. You can always find something to do.”

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.