The Raiders are still in training camp, but Klint Kubiak is already talking like a coach who sees the bigger picture.
On Monday, Kubiak said the team’s culture is moving in the right direction, and that matters more than any short-term noise around a rebuild. Las Vegas is trying to lay down a foundation now for the 2026 NFL season, and the early signs, at least from the head coach’s perspective, are encouraging.
For a new coach, the first hurdle is earning buy-in. Kubiak appears to have cleared that quickly.
The Raiders are starting to look like a team with structure and purpose, something that has not always been easy to say about this franchise in recent years. That sense of direction starts at the top, and the organization clearly believes it has the right man steering the ship.
The team’s offensive vision is a big part of that. Pairing an elite offensive-minded head coach with a rookie quarterback speeds up the rebuilding process, and the Raiders’ handling of Fernando Mendoza fits that approach. Instead of forcing a young passer onto the field too soon, the staff is taking a more measured route, one that is meant to protect his development rather than rush it.
That’s the broader point of this season for Las Vegas. It is less about chasing immediate results and more about building something that can last. The Raiders hired what was described as arguably the best coaching candidate available this offseason, and Kubiak arrives off a Super Bowl-winning season with the Seattle Seahawks, where he worked with Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The roster is not the same, but the opportunity is real. If the management side keeps pushing in the same direction and the roster comes together after free agency and the draft, the Raiders could end up being a surprise team in 2026.
In Other News...
Raiders Camp Is Sending A Clear Message About Rob Leonards D-Line
Training camp has a way of revealing whether a new defensive plan is truly taking hold or just sounding good in July, and the Raiders defensive line is starting to lean hard toward the former. Kwity Paye, Jonah Laulu and Thomas Booker have all offered the same broad message about Rob Leonards group: the room feels competitive, the younger players are getting pushed along, and the culture around the line appears to be trending in a positive direction.
What makes that chorus notable is how consistent it has been, because when different players keep pointing in the same direction, it can signal real buy-in or a carefully shaped public front. Either way, the Raiders are hearing enough peer-to-peer praise and seeing enough energy around the defensive front to make Leonards early imprint one of the more interesting camp stories on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Jonah Laulu Is Becoming Hard To Ignore In Raiders Camp
The Raiders have spent the last few seasons trying to get their defensive line where they want it, and Jonah Laulu has started to look like part of the solution. After using the offseason to sharpen the football-specific details of his game, he has turned up in camp as a steady presence, even while working from a reserve role and adjusting to Rob Leonards new defensive scheme.
For a line the Raiders plan to rotate heavily in order to keep everyone fresh, that kind of consistency matters. Laulu is still in the middle of his development, but he has become the sort of interior piece coaches can keep leaning on, and his progress is beginning to make him harder to overlook as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosby Trade Buzz Just Put More Pressure On The Raiders
An injury scare for Montez Sweat during a Bears training camp session has done more than just put Chicagos pass rush depth under the microscope. It also revived a familiar NFL rumor mill around Maxx Crosby, the Raiders cornerstone edge rusher, with the league once again looking for a possible answer if the Bears need help and Las Vegas ever decides to listen.
ESPNs Adam Schefter added to the chatter by suggesting Crosby could come back into trade conversations if the Raiders stumble out of the gate, a scenario that immediately ramps up the pressure around a team already facing questions about its direction. Crosby has repeatedly said he wants to stay in Las Vegas, but in a league where elite pass rushers are never far from speculation, the buzz is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]