The Raiders don’t get much time to ease into 2026. Right out of the gate in Week 1, they’re staring at a quarterback who can wreck a defensive game plan if they let him get comfortable: Malik Willis.
Las Vegas and head coach Klint Kubiak are deep into prep for their opener against the Miami Dolphins, a matchup between two rebuilding teams that plenty of people around the league have already brushed aside. But if the Raiders can’t corral Willis, this one has a chance to get a lot more interesting than the outside noise suggests.
Willis’ path to this moment has been a winding one. He came out of the 2022 quarterback class that also included Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, Desmond Ridder and Sam Howell, plus Brock Purdy as the final pick in the draft. He started with the Titans, then was traded to the Green Bay Packers to back up Jordan Love.
And when Love was out, Willis showed exactly why teams keep betting on him. He has real juice as a passer and the kind of rushing ability that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep. In his only start for Green Bay last year, he completed 18 of 21 passes for 288 yards, added 60 rushing yards and accounted for three total touchdowns.
This spring, Willis signed with Miami and now gets a shot to push for the kind of long-term role that once looked unlikely. He’ll have to do it with a depleted roster around him, but his skill set still gives the Dolphins something worth building around.
For the Raiders, that means first-year defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has a serious test on his hands. Las Vegas has added two new linebackers in Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean, and Walker looks like the most important piece for handling Willis in the run game.
Leonard could use Walker on the edge at times and bring him into gap-mugging looks to muddy the picture before the snap. The key is going to be discipline at the mesh point, plus staying consistent, getting ahead of the sticks and keeping Willis contained.
That mesh point could get messy with De'Von Achane in the backfield, too. Achane’s speed is hard enough to deal with on its own, but Willis brings a different kind of stress because he can hurt a defense with both his arm and his legs.
Las Vegas should have some answers if Maxx Crosby is healthy off the edge, Walker is active at the second level and Jeremy Chinn brings physicality as a box defender. Even then, the Raiders are walking into Week 1 with a quarterback who has plenty to prove and the tools to make that happen fast.
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Klint Kubiaks Demanding Style Is Already Shaping The Raiders Biggest Decisions
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It is already evident in the quarterback plan. Kubiak has chosen Kirk Cousins to start Week 1 against the Dolphins over first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, a decision that underscores how carefully the Raiders want to bring the rookie along. Mendoza remains central to the long-term picture, but the team plans to develop him patiently, with Kubiak also pointing to the value of Tom Bradys guidance in shaping the roster and the organizations approach to building around it. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Suddenly Have A Clear Veteran Receiver Option To Consider
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Slayton also comes with the sort of questions that usually follow a player changing teams this late in the process, which is why the fit is being weighed carefully rather than rushed into. The Raiders are reportedly considering the move, but nothing has been finalized, leaving this as one of those roster situations worth watching closely as they sort through whether the upside outweighs the risk. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Make Late Practice Squad Moves Ahead Of Week 1
The Raiders kept tinkering with the bottom of the roster as Week 1 approached, making another set of practice squad moves to shore up a few spots after cutdown day. Las Vegas added rookie nose tackle Tim Keenan III and fullback Patrick Gurd, while parting ways with defensive tackle Gary Smith III and safety Devin Lafayette, a reminder that even after the initial 53-man decisions, the back end of the roster is still very much a work in progress.
Keenan, a seventh-round pick of the Rams, brings some flexibility because he has played multiple spots along the defensive line, even if his preseason production did not jump off the page. Gurd is a familiar face in the building after spending the spring and summer with the Raiders while competing for the fullback job, and his return gives the team another look at a role they kept evaluating throughout the offseason. [Read more 🡒]