Raiders’ Charles Snowden never lost hope and his heroics rewards team’s faith
HENDERSON, Nev. — After he said a few words to the team following Sunday's win, Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Christian Wilkins turned to Charles Snowden and gave him a big bear hug. And then he held it and lifted his teammate up.
The Raiders badly needed a win, and it was Snowden, an undrafted, often discarded player who had played all of six snaps in three seasons before this year, who saved the day. Two plays after blocking a pass with 1:22 left in the game, Snowden chased down Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for a game-clinching sack on fourth-and-3, the first full sack of Snowden's career.
"It's the fall in Las Vegas, but it was snowing up in Allegiant (Stadium) last night," Wilkins said, smiling, on Monday. "The Snowman did his thing and closed the game out. It was awesome to see. It was a great moment for him because he puts in a lot of work. He has had a crazy journey, so I am glad he was able to get a moment like that."
Snowden was signed to the Raiders practice squad last December and stayed with the team through the offseason before he was released after training camp this summer. The defensive end was re-signed to the practice squad and then added to the active roster following Malcolm Koonce 's season-ending knee injury. While his snap count has been fairly steady through four games, Snowden's role took on greater importance Sunday when star pass rusher Maxx Crosby missed his first career game with a high ankle sprain.
On the game-clinching sack, Wilkins and Adam Butler were able to get a push up the middle "and I was just able to wrap around them," Snowden said.
After years of being an understudy with the Chicago Bears , Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now the Raiders, the lights were not too bright in the final minutes against the Browns.
"I'm feeling very emotional and grateful for my teammates and coaches and myself and all the sacrifices I've made," Snowden said. "The ups and downs of the NFL aren't easy, but on a day like today, it makes it all worth it.
"The faith the coaches had in me to trust me to go out and make a play in that moment, with the game on the line, really means the world to me. It's something I'll never forget."
It's been quite a journey for the 6-foot-7, 245-pound Snowden, who thought he was going to be drafted after a standout career at Virginia but then broke his ankle late in his senior season in 2020.
"It's interesting how certain guys' careers work, right?" Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Sunday night. "We pick him up last year, and in the spring he was making some flash plays. Didn't work out initially, we don't put him on the 53-man roster, but injuries happen and he gets pulled up.
"We've asked him to do a lot, from special teams, to playing linebacker, to playing D-end. (He has the) height, that length and more importantly that effort — prime example was that last play, full-blown, we need to have it fourth-and-3, game on the line, and he did everything he could. (Defensive line coaches) Robbie (Leonard) and Andre Carter, all those hours spent on the side working extra, really came to fruition."
Snowden, 26, was very popular with teammates even before his heroics. They were calling him "Mr. Closer" after the game, but that probably won't beat out his existing nickname.
They call him "Blizzard."
"Our special teams coach (Tom McMahon) said Snow was too soft and started calling me Blizzard," Snowden said. "I made a couple of plays and the name struck."
Snowden, who was a big-time basketball player growing up, said he almost quit football a dozen times before he received only one scholarship offer out of high school in Washington, D.C. But that thought hasn't occurred to him since he got the fever and had success in NFL training camps. He also got to watch and learn from Khalil Mack in Chicago and Crosby in Las Vegas.
"We were all just trying to collectively replace Maxx (on Sunday)," Snowden said. "Maxx told me this week to go out there and play hard and take advantage of this opportunity."
Nesta Jade Silvera , who's also gone up and down from the practice squad since being a seventh-round pick last year, tries to pattern himself after his two-years-older teammate.
"He's never really gotten the opportunity before this season," Silvera said Sunday. "He only got p-squad and training-camp opportunities, and even these dudes that we got now cut him. Injuries happened and he stepped up."
Snowden not only never got down, but he was trying to pick up his teammates.
"It's funny, against the Panthers , every play that I was on the field that Snow was out there, he was just telling me, 'Make the most out of it, make the most out of it,'" Silvera said. "That just shows the type of guy he is and the character that he has. That's why (Sunday) was so fun to watch.
"A dude like that deserves it."
(Photo: Steve Marcus / )
