FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys are continuing to add depth on the offensive line, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with offensive guard Saahdiq Charles on Wednesday.
Charles, 25, signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans in March of 2024, but unexpectedly retired a few days after the start of training camp for personal reasons. On March 12, he announced that he would be coming out of retirement, and the Titans released him to be a free agent once he was reinstated.
Before he retired, Charles was expected to be the starting right guard for Tennessee, one of the two spots he lined up the most at in his first four NFL seasons with the Washington Commanders. Washington drafted him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU.
In those four seasons with the Commanders, Charles played in 35 games, taking snaps at both left and right guard but took north of 300 more snaps on the left side of the offensive line. It was a kick to the inside from left tackle, his primary position in college.
Injuries have been a limiting factor for Charles in the early stages of his career, as a dislocated kneecap placed him on injured reserve in his first NFL game during his rookie season and spent additional time on IR during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
During his collegiate days at LSU, Charles was the left tackle for the 2019 LSU national championship team, considered to be one of the best teams in college football history. In his final year with the Tigers, Charles started the last nine games at left tackle.
Charles is the second external free agent addition for Dallas on the offensive line, joining veteran Robert Jones who is also expected to compete for the open offensive guard position left behind by Zack Martin.
In his return to the league, Charles and the Cowboys are hoping to continue to develop his skills at the guard position and hope to keep him healthy, with a 6'4, 320 pound frame being a good starting point with continued development for the position.
