The Raiders spent the offseason trying to look like a team with a plan, and for the first time in a while, the pieces fit that description.
John Spytek’s front office went after the offensive line, added speed and depth on defense, and brought in a veteran quarterback with real experience to help bridge the gap to what comes next. That’s the good news. The harder part is what happens when camp opens and the questions stop being theoretical.
At the center of it all is Fernando Mendoza.
Kirk Cousins is the obvious Week 1 starter, and that makes sense for a lot of reasons. He already knows Klint Kubiak’s system from their time together in Minnesota, and the Raiders have no interest in repeating the mistake of forcing a rookie quarterback into the fire too soon. This franchise has been burned before, and nobody in the building wants another JaMarcus Russell situation.
But the setup could get messy fast if Mendoza flashes in camp or outplays Cousins in the preseason. If that happens, the pressure to make a change will be immediate.
Kubiak has pushed back on the idea that Cousins is here just to mentor, but whatever the label, his presence matters. The smart money says Cousins starts the season, though this is not a situation to take for granted.
Whoever lines up at quarterback should have more help than the Raiders have offered in recent years.
Brock Bowers is already one of the league’s best tight ends, and Ashton Jeanty is heading into his second season with a chance to bounce back after a rough rookie year. Tre Tucker is still the top receiver for now, while Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton Jr. and free agent pickup Jalen Nailor are all trying to carve out roles.
Kubiak’s job early on is simple in theory and tricky in practice: keep defenses from loading up on Bowers and Jeanty. Spread the ball around enough, and the offense has a chance to breathe.
Jeanty, in particular, has a chance to look like a different player. Last season, he was running behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines, and former coordinator Chip Kelly’s obsession with adjusting Jeanty’s stance instead of building around him did the rookie no favors.
Now the Raiders have invested heavily up front, including the addition of center Tyler Linderbaum and a healthy Kolton Miller. If the line holds up, Jeanty should finally get the kind of room his talent calls for.
That’s the kind of setup that should have existed from the start.
On the other side of the ball, the Raiders look more settled.
Rob Leonard takes over a defense built around Maxx Crosby, who had a trade to Baltimore that was since scrapped and spent the offseason rehabbing. Crosby has already said he won’t be full speed right away, describing his workload as “slightly limited” as he works back up. Given that he’s had eight surgeries in seven seasons, that sounds more like common sense than concern.
The Raiders also added Kwity Paye and rookie Keyron Crawford off the edge, plus linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker in free agency. In the secondary, the makeover included Taron Johnson, along with rookies Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy.
Stukes is the name drawing the loudest buzz. One NFL general manager reportedly compared him to Kyle Hamilton-style versatility, and Adam Schefter said before the draft that at least one team preferred Stukes to Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, who went in the first round. That kind of talk raises the bar right away, and camp will be the first real chance to see whether it holds up.
Crosby’s own résumé still puts him in the spotlight, too. He finished eighth in AP All-Pro voting last year even while missing time, and with a lighter workload potentially helping his efficiency, he has a path to another first- or second-team push despite the heavy competition from players in the Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt tier.
So where does that leave the Raiders?
Somewhere in the middle, which is exactly why this season is so hard to pin down. The roster has been retooled, but it’s still a team in transition - part youth movement, part spending spree, part hope that the new additions actually change the outcome.
The offensive line upgrades and defensive depth point toward improvement. The quarterback situation and the AFC West point toward patience.
A better Raiders team feels like the safest expectation. A clearly more competitive one, too.
But a real contender? That’s a bigger ask.
If this group gets anywhere near the playoffs, that would count as a real accomplishment in this division. If the results don’t move, though, all that offseason activity may end up looking like motion without much progress.
In Other News...
What Maxx Crosby Is Really Feeling Has Raiders Fans On Edge
Maxx Crosbys situation has become one of the more closely watched storylines around the Raiders this summer, and for good reason. The edge rusher remains a centerpiece of the defense, but the chatter around his future has not gone away, even as signs point toward him staying in Las Vegas and continuing to anchor the pass rush.
Former teammate Gerald McCoy and analyst Adam Schefter have both weighed in on what Crosby is bringing to the table, while insiders still see enough uncertainty to keep the speculation alive. Crosby is also working back from knee surgery that is not considered severe, and with interest around his status still swirling, the Raiders are left waiting to see how this latest chapter settles. [Read more 🡒]
Kubiak Just Made Raiders Camp Feel Like A Real Roster Reckoning
Veterans reporting to 2026 Raiders training camp brought a different kind of energy to the building, with Klint Kubiak framing the next few weeks as more than just a ramp-up to preseason. After seeing the team through offseason practices, the coach said the group has taken coaching well and looks better than it did in the spring, which matters for a roster still being shaped in a rebuilding year.
The real sorting, though, is still ahead. Kubiak made it clear the next 11 padded practices before the first preseason game will tell the staff far more than OTAs or minicamp ever could, and that is where the competition gets real for players trying to hold off challengers or force their way into the conversation. In a camp like this, a few familiar names can fade quickly while an overlooked lineman or back suddenly makes himself impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Rookies Are About To Force Some Big Camp Decisions
The Raiders rookie class is already shaping up to be one of the most interesting parts of training camp, with first overall pick Fernando Mendoza expected to be right in the middle of the action. Las Vegas brought in a group that should get real chances to push for roles, and that includes several young defensive backs from Aprils draft class who will be trying to turn offseason buzz into actual playing time.
Treydan Stukes, Jermod McCoy and Hezekiah Masses are all in the mix as camp opens, which gives the Raiders a few different paths to sort through in the secondary. On the offensive line, Trey Zuhn III is projected to work at guard but could move around if the staff needs him elsewhere, and that kind of flexibility is exactly the sort of thing that can tilt a roster battle in a rookies favor. [Read more 🡒]