Training camp has opened in Las Vegas, and the Raiders are walking into the 2026 season with a roster that has plenty of people talking. Klint Kubiak, Fernando Mendoza and Maxx Crosby are still in the building, and that alone has the outlook around this team feeling better than it has in nearly a decade.
That kind of setup invites speculation, so before the first official practice, here are five bold calls for what could happen next.
One of the first dominoes could be Kirk Cousins. He was brought in to mentor Fernando Mendoza and help keep the team competitive in the meantime, but that arrangement may not last as long as expected.
Once Mendoza is ready to take over, the question becomes how long it still makes sense to keep Cousins in a backup role. By the time the trade deadline rolls around, Cousins should have value on the market, and the coaching staff is said to really like O’Connell.
If Kubiak keeps building confidence in O’Connell, there’s a case for keeping him around as the long-term backup to Mendoza.
Crosby is another name that could dominate the conversation later in the year. Adam Schefter said Crosby might end up being a Raider for life after all, but the idea here is that the Raiders should still be open to listening if offers come in.
If Crosby is healthy at the trade deadline and the team is not piling up wins, another club could show up with a Ravens-like offer. The Baltimore trade fell through, and maybe that changed the mood around Crosby and the Raiders, but skepticism still lingers.
Up front, the offensive line is a group that could flip the script in a hurry. Injuries and what’s described as one of the worst coaching situations the Raiders have ever assembled left the unit with nowhere to go but up.
With Tyler Linderbaum joining Kolton Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson back to full strength, the Raiders have the kind of talent that can push the line into the upper tier of the league. Add depth and better coaching, and the most disappointing position group from 2025 could become one of the most dynamic in 2026.
The quarterback timeline also feels like it could move faster than planned. Fernando Mendoza is projected to be Raiders QB1 by October 31, and the logic is simple: it will be tough to keep him on the bench for two months.
He is not sitting behind a 38-year-old Tom Brady, either. Cousins can be the perfect veteran to show Mendoza what it takes to be successful during the week, but at this point in his career, he may not be the right quarterback to teach that lesson on Sundays.
And then there’s Ashton Jeanty, who could be in line for a massive season if everything breaks the right way. Kubiak is described as a genius when it comes to running the football, and Jeanty brings the kind of explosiveness that can change a backfield.
If the offensive line makes the leap that’s being projected, Jeanty has the ability to take over the league in 2026. In fantasy terms, the warning is simple: get him before it’s too late.
In Other News...
Broncos Face A Big Vance Joseph Question After Latest Interest
Vance Joseph is headed back to Denver for the 2026 season after once again drawing head-coaching interest, a familiar kind of offseason validation for a coordinator who keeps getting mentioned in those conversations. For Broncos coach Sean Payton, the return keeps a key piece of his staff intact and extends the runway for a coach he has continued to back publicly.
From the Raiders perspective, the ripple effect is less about Denver than the division-wide chessboard around it, where every staff decision and roster move gets watched closely. Las Vegas also had its own quarterback-room storyline surface, with Fernando Mendoza framing his approach as competition alongside Kirk Cousins and the rest of the group rather than a straight one-on-one battle, a small but telling sign of how these summer jobs are being defined. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Camp Will Answer One Huge Question About This Defense
Training camp is where the Raiders should start getting real answers about a defense that has been reshaped in a hurry. Christian Wilkins is in place up front, Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker have been added at linebacker, and the staff now gets a full look at how the new pieces fit with the holdovers as Las Vegas tries to raise the floor on that side of the ball.
The most interesting part may come along the defensive line and in the cornerback room, where camp reps will matter as much as any offseason label. Players like Hemingway and Decamerion Richardson are on the spot to show they can claim bigger roles, and for a team still rebuilding its secondary, the next few weeks could go a long way toward deciding how much confidence the Raiders can have when the season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Fernando Mendoza Just Gave Raiders Fans A Reason To Be Patient
The Raiders have spent training camp balancing the present and the future, with Kirk Cousins installed as the starter while first overall pick Fernando Mendoza gets his early education behind him. For a team opening against the Miami Dolphins, the plan is clear enough: let the veteran handle the immediate pressure, and let the rookie absorb as much as he can while the staff works to bring him along at a steady pace.
Mendoza has already shown why Las Vegas is willing to be patient. He has looked promising in practice, even if he knows there is still a long way to go, especially with the playbook. Cousins is expected to help in that process as a mentor, and the bigger question now is not whether Mendoza has talent, but how quickly he can close the gap and make the Raiders revisit the quarterback picture. [Read more 🡒]