The Raiders’ Week 6 loss to Buffalo triggered the usual postgame noise, but the team also made a few quieter moves that tell part of the story too. On Monday, Las Vegas signed offensive tackles Amari Kight and Darian Kinnard to the practice squad and released offensive lineman Evan Neal and tight end Chris Myarick in corresponding transactions.
Neal, a former No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, had been added just before the season and drew plenty of curiosity because of the chance it might become a low-risk reclamation project. Instead, his time with the Raiders ended almost as quickly as it began.
Myarick’s exit was less sudden. He joined the team in early August, made the practice squad after final cuts, and was active for the first two games while Brock Bowers worked through an injury. With Carter Runyon close to returning, his role no longer looked secure.
Kight arrives after a winding path that started at Alabama and UCF before he landed with the Seattle Seahawks as a UDFA last year. He spent most of that season on the practice squad, but he did appear in four regular-season games and played 17 offensive snaps in the playoffs. Kight is a Super Bowl champ.
Kinnard brings even more hardware. A fifth-round pick in 2022, he spent two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs before moving through several teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles.
Several Raiders executives were in Philly when Kinnard was there in 2024. He then played in all 17 games for the Green Bay Packers in 2025, starting four.
The source material describes him as a solid run blocker whose pass protection has been average so far, and notes that he has been part of three Super Bowl-winning teams.
There was more Raiders news beyond the roster shuffle. CBS Sports PR said Tuesday that the Raiders-Bills game was the most-watched program of the week on any network. That came after Las Vegas’ Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs also finished as the most-watched game, giving the Raiders two of the top four spots this season.
The week also brought a fresh look at Las Vegas’ next opponent. The Rams were already expected to be without Myles Garrett for Week 7 in Las Vegas, and their injury list grew in Week 6. Davante Adams, defensive tackles Kobie Turner and Poona Ford will not play, though left tackle Alaric Jackson is back.
And after the postgame chaos, Bills safety CJ Gardner-Johnson was suspended for spitting on Raiders tight end Brock Bowers after being ejected on Sunday.
On the field, the Raiders still have plenty to sort through, and the team’s weekly awards reflect that mix of promise and frustration. Tre Tucker earned the nod for best player in the Buffalo loss after leading the team in receiving yards and catching both touchdown passes from Kirk Cousins.
The Raiders still need a true No. 1 wideout, but Tucker is making a strong case that he can be a reliable No. 2.
Michael Mayer took the “most surprising performance” honor on the good side. He was the offense’s heartbeat, especially in the first half, when Bowers started slowly. Mayer finished with seven catches for 95 yards and outproduced Bowers in the process.
The other end of that category went to Tyler Linderbaum, whose afternoon was rough enough to stand out. The source says second-year player Deone Walker consistently beat him, and Linderbaum missed several run-blocking assignments while allowing two quarterback hits.
The best postgame comments came from across the locker room. Klint Kubiak opened with a blunt message after the loss: "I just want to say [I am] very disappointed.
Very disappointed that we didn't get it done today. Credit to Buffalo; they played a great game.
As a team, we did not close the game, and there's plenty of improvement. But we are not satisfied with any moral victories, and we're a 3-3 football team with everything ahead of us."
Kirk Cousins struck a steady, process-first tone: "All I know to do is go back to work to have candid conversations on Monday that make us better as a football team. To have your process, your habits that get you ready to play well, and then to go through that process to not change anything when you're winning, to not change too much when you're losing.
I think the only part you change is when you go back and see where we got to be better, and you emphasize that during the week. But we just got to go back to work and just put the work in and expect that if you do that, that the breaks will fly your way."
Tucker also made it clear he sees something different in this team: "I've been a part of some games where we weren't very competitive, and just felt like you were out there, just participating. This is more of competition, competing.
This is what the NFL is about. Every game's a one score.
A lot of the games are one score games, and very fortunate to be a part of them, which means we're very competitive. But like Coach [Klint Kubiak] said, 'We got to figure out a way to close these games.'
We're in all of them, but great teams close. So, that's what we got to get figured out this Wednesday, and hopefully get done this upcoming week."
Kubiak’s biggest frustration centered on the third quarter, where the Raiders have repeatedly come up empty. He called it "a complete lack of production" and said the team is trying to figure out what common issues are showing up and how to put the players in better position. He said Sunday was a clear example of how damaging it can be and added that the staff is reviewing its halftime process and what it asks from the players coming out of the break.
Beyond the game and the quotes, there’s also some extra reading floating around the Raiders orbit. Vinny Bonsignore got access to owner Mark Davis for a piece that touched on In-N-Out, fashion grievances and more. Sam Warren also examined what’s holding Las Vegas back from becoming a truly elite offense, noting that the Raiders rank sixth in the NFL in points per game while leaving plenty on the table.
In Other News...
Raiders Could Push Matthew Stafford Toward Brutal NFL History
Matthew Staffords season in Los Angeles has become part production line, part survival test. With the Rams sitting fourth in the NFC West, the veteran quarterback has still put up a workable passing line through six games, but the bigger picture has been harder to ignore as the team tries to climb back into the division race and fix a rough start. From the Raiders perspective, any matchup with a contender trying to steady itself brings the same pressure to every snap, and Stafford remains the central figure in that push.
The concern now goes beyond the standings and into a more uncomfortable corner of NFL history. Stafford has already taken four losses as a starter this season and is inching toward a mark no quarterback wants attached to his name, with a familiar old record suddenly in view. The Rams are focused on winning games and turning their season around, but every setback only adds more weight to a streak that could put Stafford in an unfortunate place no one around the league wants to discuss out loud. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Earned Praise In Vegas But Their Players Didnt
A sizable contingent of Buffalo fans turned Allegiant Stadium into one of the more lively visiting environments of the season in Week 6, and they drew praise from an unlikely source in Raider Nation Radio host JT the Brick. By all accounts, the Bills supporters showed up loudly and carried themselves well during the game, giving Las Vegas a reminder that a strong road crowd can be a positive part of the NFL atmosphere when it stays respectful.
The story was much less flattering on the field, where the Bills defense crossed a line twice over. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected during the game and later hit with an additional one-game suspension, while Sam Franklin Jr. was also suspended for a separate spitting incident. For a Bills team trying to keep its footing in a competitive AFC race, the weekend ended with praise for its fans and discipline issues that threatened to overshadow the football. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Trade Deadline Focus Comes Down To One Crucial Roster Decision
The trade deadline is giving the Raiders a chance to weigh a few different roster fixes, but the clearest pressure point remains up front. Las Vegas has been looking at ways to strengthen its offensive line, along with possible help in the defensive backfield and at wide receiver, and coach Klint Kubiak has pointed to the development and challenges along the line while also noting the need to keep the secondary moving in the right direction.
There is also some optimism at receiver after Jalen Nailor returned, but the bigger issue is finding the right balance between immediate help and long-term depth. Run blocking still needs work, and the Raiders know there are spots where an extra body could matter, especially if they decide the best move is to add competition before the deadline passes. [Read more 🡒]