The Raiders have spent the offseason remaking the roster, the coaching staff and the scheme, but one of the biggest swing factors for 2026 is still a familiar face: Kolton Miller.
Las Vegas is only weeks from training camp, and that makes this stretch especially important. The Raiders need the new pieces to click quickly, and they need their veteran left tackle back on the field and holding up. After a season defined in part by injuries and an offensive line that never found its footing, Miller’s availability looms as a major piece of the puzzle.
Miller has been central to the Raiders’ offense since they drafted him nearly a decade ago, and that hasn’t changed even with all the turnover around him. The team has kept adding linemen through the draft, but Miller remains the player they most need to have in place for a full season.
He knows what’s coming as camp approaches.
“I have high expectations for everyone. The standard is higher.
Guys are learning, guys are coming in, but the competition right now is first getting in the playbook and mastering that and getting to work. And then next is training camp.
It's great that we're back together and take another step. So, I'm looking forward to the process,” Miller said.
That process now includes a new offensive coordinator in Andrew Janocko, who is still getting acquainted with his players. Janocko said the staff is spending its time studying each player’s strengths and weaknesses and figuring out how to put them in the best position to succeed.
“I think that's something that we talk about every day, about looking at a guy's profile, what does he do well, what is he maybe not doing so well, and is that something that we want to change through a technique or something like that, or are we shifting him into a place where he can thrive better or be in a better place to succeed? So, it's all a growth process; each individual person is different,” Janocko said.
“It's something we're constantly evaluating. Our position coaches do a great job of planning out their individual meetings and their individual periods on the field to maximize those opportunities. Each guy grows his specific skill set, so then once he gets into the offense, he can help us succeed."
The Raiders’ offensive line was a mess last season, and injuries to Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson only made it worse. Even before both players were lost for the year, the unit had already been struggling.
Las Vegas has since added Tyler Linderbaum and brought in a completely new offensive coaching staff, and there’s hope the line can finally stabilize in 2026. But that hope still hinges heavily on Miller returning to form.
The Raiders have added enough talent to believe they can win more games this season. Still, last year made it clear how much of that depends on the offensive line, and how much of that depends on Miller specifically. The drop-off behind him at left tackle is huge, to the point that the Raiders don’t really know how big it is.
For a team trying to turn the page after back-to-back rough seasons, Miller remains one of the most important holdovers. And if Las Vegas wants things to break right this year, it needs him available for far more than a quarter of the campaign.
In Other News...
Seahawks Linked To The O-Line Move Fans Have Been Begging For
The Seahawks are still searching for answers up front, and one proposed fix would send a versatile interior blocker to Seattle in exchange for a mid-round 2027 draft pick. The appeal is obvious: a lineman who can line up at guard or center gives a coaching staff more ways to stabilize the middle of the protection and help set a firmer tone in the run game.
He has already logged 21 starts over the last two seasons, even while dealing with some missed time last year because of injury, and he has been part of a competition for a starting guard role in back-to-back offseasons. For the Raiders, the question is whether that kind of flexibility and experience is worth keeping around, or whether a future pick is enough to justify moving on. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Rookie Is Suddenly In A Battle Fans Should Watch Closely
The Raiders waited until late on Day 3 to address wide receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft, and when they finally did, they added a player who fits the mold of what this offense can use. Malik Benson brings speed, polished route-running and dependable hands, traits that helped him emerge as Oregons top receiver in 2025 and made him an intriguing addition for a Las Vegas group still sorting out its pass-catching depth under Klint Kubiak.
Now the real question is whether Benson can turn that profile into a roster spot. He is expected to be in the mix throughout training camp and the preseason, and his return ability gives him another path to stick, but the battle ahead will be about more than just flashes in practice. For a rookie taken where he was, every rep matters, and Bensons chance to carve out a role could come down to how quickly he translates his college production into something the Raiders can trust on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]
Former Raiders Defender Charles Snowden Suspended After Disappointing Development
Charles Snowdens path through the NFL has already taken him from Chicago to Tampa Bay to Las Vegas, and now he is trying to settle in with the Cowboys after another move this offseason. The former Raiders defender is still eligible to take part in all preseason work, so the immediate focus remains on making his case for a roster spot while Dallas gets closer to final cuts.
The wrinkle is that his availability for the start of the regular season is already in question, since the league has handed down a suspension that will cost him the opening stretch of games once the Cowboys trim down to 53 players. For a player trying to reestablish himself with a new team, it adds another layer of uncertainty to a career that has been defined by constant movement and the need to keep proving he belongs. [Read more 🡒]