Saahdiq Charles (born July 26, 1999) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and was drafted by Washington in the fourth round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

. Charles was a member of the LSU team that won the

2020 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game that determined a national champion in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the 2019 season. It was played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ...

Early life and high school

Charles grew up in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

until his family was displaced by

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005. He and his family lived in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metr ...

and

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

before settling in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. Charles attended

Madison-Ridgeland Academy Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA, Madison-Ridgeland) is a private, co-educational school in Madison, Mississippi, for students from K-3 through 12th grade. It was founded in 1969 as a segregation academy. There are 4 divisions; the Kindergarten (K3- ...

, where played offensive and defensive line on the football team. A 4-star recruit according to rivals.com, Charles committed to play college football at

over offers from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...

, Ole Miss, and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, among others.

College career

Charles played in all 13 of the Tigers' games with nine starts as a true freshman in 2017 and was named to the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

(SEC) All-Freshman team. He started ten games at left tackle as a sophomore. During his junior season, Charles was suspended for the entirety of the Tigers' non-conference schedule due to a violation of team rules, but started the final nine games of the season at left tackle as the Tigers won the 2020 National Championship. Following the end of the season, Charles declared for the

, forgoing his senior season.

Professional career

Charles was selected by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in the fourth round, 108th overall, of the

. He signed his four-year rookie contract on July 22, 2020. After missing the first five games of the season due to injury, Charles made his NFL debut in the Week 6 game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. Despite taking reps in training camp at offensive tackle, the team started him at left guard replacing

Wes Martin Wesley Martin (born May 9, 1996) is an American football offensive guard. He played college football at Indiana and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Martin has also been a member of the New York Gi ...

, who had struggled in first five games as the starter. Charles left the game in the first quarter due to a dislocated knee cap, and was placed on injured reserve on October 24, 2020. Charles had his second career start and his first at tackle in a Week 8 game against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in 2021. He was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on November 9, 2021, but was placed back on the active roster seven days later. In the Week 15 and Week 16 games against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, respectively, Charles started at right guard in place of

Brandon Scherff Brandon Scherff (born December 26, 1991) is an American football guard for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 20 ...

who was on the team's COVID-19 reserve list. In Week 4 of the 2022 season, Charles took over at right guard after starter

Trai Turner Trai Denzell Turner (born June 14, 1993) is an American football guard for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 20 ...

was benched. Following the game, Charles started at right guard for three straight games before Turner returning to the starting lineup in Week 8. On January 6, 2023, he was placed on injured reserve.

References

External links

*
Washington Commanders bio

LSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Saahdiq 1999 births Living people African-American players of American football American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards LSU Tigers football players Players of American football from Jackson, Mississippi Players of American football from New Orleans Washington Commanders players Washington Football Team players 21st-century African-American sportspeople