The Raiders are limping into Week 5 with more injury questions than answers, and a few of them sit right in the middle of the offense. Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the New England Patriots, Klint Kubiak offered the latest on Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jalen Nailor and Dont’e Thornton Jr., giving Las Vegas at least some sense of where things stand.
Powers-Johnson, who sat out Week 4, appears to be the closest of the three to getting back on the field. Kubiak said on 10/5: "Yes, he's on the mend, and [we are] planning on getting him back this week and getting him in practice."
That’s encouraging, even if it stops short of a true guarantee. The Raiders’ offensive line felt his absence against the Patriots, though Caleb Rogers handled the fill-in role at right guard.
Pro Football Focus charged Rogers with five pressures allowed and gave him a 7.6 pass-blocking grade, and he also drew one penalty. He was better in the run game, but Powers-Johnson is the more experienced option, and Las Vegas could use that against a Patriots front that figures to bring heat.
If Powers-Johnson is unable to go, Rogers should remain at right guard. If he returns, the Raiders may need to sort out the left side as well, where the Burford-Rogers battle could become more relevant.
Nailor’s situation is more uncertain. Kubiak said on 10/4: "Jalen Nailor has a concussion."
Then on 10/5, he added: "Yesterday, Jalen [Nailor] had a concussion. So, we'll keep evaluating him."
Nailor took a shot to the head on what appeared to be a slightly off throw from Kirk Cousins. The play drew a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down, but it also left Nailor with a concussion.
He initially left the game, then returned and played eight more snaps before being taken out again. For now, Kubiak isn’t offering much beyond the evaluation process, and the timing could leave Nailor in danger of missing next week, just as Treydan Stukes did after suffering the same injury in the previous week’s game.
That would be another hit to a receiver room that is already stretched thin. Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. are on injured reserve, Nailor is in the concussion protocol, and only Tre Tucker, Cody White, Malik Benson and Dareke Young are healthy from that group.
Thornton Jr. remains on the road back, but the staff is still being careful with him. Kubiak said on 10/2: "He's working very hard.
He's doing well and [we] look forward to getting him back out here at some point and get him back into practice. ... "He'll be back practicing at some point next week.
I can't say yes or no on [him playing in Week 5] yet."
Then on 10/5, Kubiak added: "We're still in discussions about when he will be back. Yes."
The tone there suggests optimism, but not urgency. Thornton Jr. has already dealt with a banged-up spring and spent most of the summer "on the mend" with an unknown leg injury, so the Raiders seem inclined to be cautious. That makes sense, even if his size and speed could help this offense in a major way once he’s ready.
For now, Las Vegas is still waiting to see Thornton Jr. in this version of the system. He didn’t play in any of the three preseason games and was out during live summer practices, so there hasn’t been a chance to measure where his development stands.
The hope is that he can return soon, give the offense another body, and maybe become the player fans envisioned on draft day. But first, he has to get healthy and stay that way.
In Other News...
Maxx Crosby Just Took The Mahomes Rivalry Somewhere Personal
Maxx Crosby has never been shy about the Patrick Mahomes matchup, but he took the familiar Raiders-Chiefs edge in a more personal direction during an episode of his podcast, The Rush. Crosby talked about the ongoing physical and psychological chess match he and Mahomes seem to play every time they line up across from each other, a rivalry built as much on stubbornness and feel as it is on pass-rush production.
Crosby also pointed to one of the stranger details of the matchup, saying Mahomes makes unusual vocal sounds when he gets tackled. It is the kind of observation that only comes from repeated collisions and plenty of time spent trying to get inside an opponents head, and Crosby has done plenty of both, piling up 6.5 sacks and 49 quarterback pressures against Mahomes in his career. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Loss Put A Few Veterans On Notice Fast
The Raiders first game of the 2026 season against the Chiefs offered an early look at where the roster already looks solid and where the margin for error is thin. A few veterans came out of the opener with some encouragement attached to their names, including Spencer Burford, who held up better in pass protection, while the team also got reminders that one play can tilt a game fast in a division matchup.
Kwity Paye did not make much of an imprint on the defensive side, and Dareke Youngs fumble on a kickoff return became the kind of mistake that can swing momentum before a team has settled in. In a loss that doubled as an evaluation game, the Raiders found enough positives to keep building on, but the individual letdowns also made clear which players will have to answer quickly the next time they take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Catch A Break As Patriots Defense Enters Week 5 Shorthanded
The Raiders Week 5 prep got a little more interesting when the Patriots opened the week with a long injury list on defense, including eight players who were absent from the first practice. For a Las Vegas offense looking to build momentum, the timing matters, because New Englands depth chart is already being tested before the game even gets into full swing.
Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore were among the most notable names, with Gonzalez expected to remain out and Barmore possibly limited to some activities. The Patriots do have a few players on injured reserve who are eligible to return, but coach Mike Vrabel said it does not sound like any of them are likely to be activated this week, leaving the Raiders with a clearer path to attack a defense that may be piecing things together on the fly. [Read more 🡒]