The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into training camp with a lot more to sort out than they had a year ago. A new head coach in Klint Kubiak, a future franchise quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, and a rebuilt defense have changed the feel around the team as it prepares for its 2026 season. After finishing 3-14 in 2025, the Raiders are looking at a roster that should be more competitive - and that means every spot is going to be earned.
That kind of reset usually turns camp into a grind, and this one should be no different. With cutdowns coming late next month, the fight for the 53-man roster is already taking shape across several positions. Some of the most interesting decisions are going to come in the margins, where experience, special teams value, and upside all collide.
One of the clearest battles is on the edge, where Jackson is trying to hold off undrafted free agent Cian Slone. Jackson arrived last season after being let go by the Los Angeles Rams, and he brought depth plus special-teams value.
Slone, the former NC State pass rusher, made noise during workouts and OTA practices and has the best shot of the undrafted rookies on the roster. Still, he’ll need to show he can help on special teams to separate himself.
Jackson’s experience gives him the edge for now, and he looks like the safer bet to survive final cuts.
Another spot worth watching is nickel, where the Raiders have created a real competition. The team traded for Taron Johnson, the Bills’ former standout nickel defender, and also drafted Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes for what figures to be the same role.
Johnson brings a proven track record and should open camp with the advantage. But Stukes has the kind of athleticism and football IQ that can make a rookie push quickly, and he has a legitimate path to becoming the Week 1 starter at nickel.
Special teams could also decide more than one roster spot. At kicker, Gay and Matsuzawa are set to battle after the competition stayed mostly in the background during OTAs.
Matsuzawa, the former Hawaii kicker, is trying to turn an excellent 2025 college season into a roster spot. Gay has the bigger resume, though, and that experience gives him the upper hand heading into camp.
Long snapper is another quiet but important competition. Ward, who was caught up in the Rams’ special-teams overhaul in the middle of last season, is in the mix with Duzansky, who was arguably the best long-snapper in college football last fall for Penn State. At that position, consistency and reliability are everything, and that gives the undrafted rookie free agent the advantage.
The final tight end job also looks unsettled. Ian Thomas is one of the more veteran players on the roster and has built a reputation as a solid blocker who can contribute when needed.
He’s competing with Carter Runyon, an undrafted free agent last year, for the last spot behind Connor Heyward, whose versatility as an H-back, move piece, and fullback adds another layer to the group. Either Thomas or Runyon could be the odd man out, but if the Raiders are looking for steadiness, Thomas is the cleaner fit.
Runyon, meanwhile, looks like a strong candidate for the practice squad.
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Most of those sessions will be at the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, with the final open practice moving to Allegiant Stadium. For a fan base eager to see what this version of the offense looks like in live reps, the bigger question is less about attendance than about how quickly Kubiak and Mike McCoy can get the system installed and the roster comfortable enough to make camp feel like a true starting point. [Read more 🡒]
Forgotten Raiders Tight End Is Suddenly Pushing For A Real Role
Carter Runyon arrived in Las Vegas as a 2025 undrafted free agent and spent enough of his first preseason and regular season showing the kind of versatility coaches tend to notice, even if the rest of the league barely did. The Raiders liked what they saw from a tight end who could help in the passing game, hold up as a blocker and contribute on special teams, which is exactly the sort of profile that can keep a player hanging around when roster decisions get tight.
Under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, that skill set suddenly looks more relevant. Runyon has already shown he can move around the formation and do a little of everything, and that gives him a path into multiple tight end looks if he keeps building on the same traits. For a player who was easy to overlook a year ago, the next step is no longer just surviving camp. It is forcing the Raiders to find a real role for him. [Read more 🡒]