The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into the new season with a roster that looks far more complete than it has in recent years, and that alone gives this group a real chance to quiet some of the noise around it.
A lot changed for this team in a hurry. The new coaching staff and general manager John Spytek went to work, bringing in key free agents and adding young talent through the draft. That kind of overhaul was necessary after the Raiders’ recent struggles, because the roster simply had not been strong enough to deliver consistent results on the field.
There’s still work to do, but the difference now is that the Raiders actually have players in place to address some of those holes. That wasn’t always the case.
In the past, they were often forced to patch things together without a clear plan. This time, there’s more depth on both sides of the ball, plus a special teams unit that still starts with one of the NFL’s best punters in AJ Cole.
Even so, the national view isn’t especially flattering. ESPN released its roster rankings for all 32 teams and placed the Raiders at No. 27 heading into the season.
The biggest concern, according to ESPN’s Mike Clay, is the interior defensive line: "Interior defensive line. The good news is that the Raiders have some continuity up front, returning all three interior linemen who played at least 50% of their defensive snaps last season..."
Clay also pointed to the newcomers fighting for roles there: "...Free agent addition Benito Jones, Tonka Hemingway, and JJ Pegues also struggled in 2025 and will compete for snaps up front."
If there’s one area where the Raiders can really lean into an advantage, it’s at tight end. ESPN sees that room as the team’s best strength, and it’s easy to understand why.
Brock Bowers is the best tight end in the NFL, and Michael Mayer gives the Raiders a strong backup option. Under head coach Klint Kubiak, that pairing matters even more, since his offense leans heavily on tight ends who can do everything - catch, block, and stay on the field.
The ranking says plenty about how the league views this roster. The Raiders, though, have enough new pieces and enough quality in key spots to make a different kind of statement once the games start.
In Other News...
Raiders Suddenly Have An Aidan O'Connell Decision They Can't Dodge
The Raiders quarterback room is starting to come into focus for 2026, and it leaves Aidan OConnell in an awkward spot. Kirk Cousins is the presumed starter, rookie Fernando Mendoza is expected to be the future answer when he is ready, and OConnell sits in the middle as the most obvious odd man out, even though he still profiles as a usable NFL backup.
That is what makes his situation worth watching before the season begins. OConnell is viewed as a potential trade piece, and there are teams around the league believed to be interested in him, but Las Vegas has to decide whether keeping him as insurance is worth more than turning him into value now. For a quarterback in a contract year, spending the season buried on the depth chart would not help his case, so the Raiders may have to move before the choice gets made for them. [Read more 🡒]
Thomas Booker IV Is Becoming A Bigger Part Of The Raiders Rebuild
After a 3-14 season, the Raiders spent the offseason trying to reshape both the roster and the coaching infrastructure, and one of the quieter moves has turned into a meaningful one up front. Thomas Booker IV arrived in a trade with Philadelphia and quickly worked his way into the mix on the defensive line, giving Las Vegas another body it can trust as it tries to build something sturdier around a unit that needs more than just a few standouts.
Bookers value has shown up in the kind of role the Raiders want to lean on more often, with defensive coordinator Rob Leonard stressing the importance of depth and rotation along the line. Booker also logged a full seasons worth of availability and starting experience in his first year with Las Vegas, which is exactly the sort of reliability a rebuilding team can use while it sorts out the rest of the front. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Need This Camp Answer Before The O Line Derails Them
Training camp is set to decide a lot for the Raiders, but the biggest question may be the right side of the offensive line. Under new head coach Klint Kubiak, the team is looking for more stability up front after a 2025 season in which protection issues kept hanging over the offense, and the focus now is on sorting out who fits best next to the rest of the line before the preseason starts to matter.
The right guard competition could stretch through Caleb Rogers, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Trey Zuhn III and possibly Jordan Meredith, while DJ Glaze looks like the frontrunner at right tackle unless Charles Grant makes it much closer than expected. ESPN has already raised concerns about pass protection on that side, and the Raiders need a cleaner answer there before the line becomes the kind of problem that can undo whatever progress the new staff is trying to build. [Read more 🡒]