The Raiders didn’t just patch holes this offseason. They changed the way they want to operate, and the early returns are showing up fast.
Las Vegas enters Week 3 unbeaten for the first time in five years, and the front office’s roster overhaul has already left a mark. General manager John Spytek and company attacked both sides of the ball with additions designed to contribute right away, and so far that plan has held up. The Raiders now turn their attention to the New Orleans Saints, with the hope that even more new faces can keep pushing the momentum forward.
One of the clearest shifts came at wide receiver. After two straight years of trade requests for the No. 1 wideout, the Raiders took a different route and built the room with several players who are not established names around the league.
That choice fits the offense Klint Kubiak is putting in place. Without a true top dog drawing all the attention, defenses have a harder time locking onto one target and building a game plan around him.
That was on display Sunday against the Chargers, when quarterback Kirk Cousins looked in the direction of 10 different players. The passing game wasn’t perfect, but the distribution kept Los Angeles busy and helped the Raiders stress the defense. Cousins came close to 300 passing yards in the win.
The veteran quarterback said Wednesday that the way the ball has been spread around hasn’t been something he has forced. He pointed to the reads and the structure around him.
“I do think there's confidence. I'll always say that I go where my reads take me, and I've certainly missed reads where maybe the ball should have gone to someone else. But for the most part, I just go where I feel the defense is telling me to put the football,” Cousins said before Wednesday’s practice.
“Coaches I think always do a good job of formation-ing where they want the football to go, if you will. I just play it out true and honest the best I can. In some games, that's led to certain players getting a lot of touches, but it's never really conscious by me."
“I wasn't really thinking about that as I was going back on each individual play. So, you just go where your reads take you, and if you spread it around, you spread it around.
If it's focused on one or two guys, so be it. It's all about moving the football and scoring points."
That committee approach has given Las Vegas a different kind of flexibility. Any week, any one of the team’s receivers can lead the group in catches or yards, and that uncertainty makes life tougher on defenses from snap to snap. It also gives players further down the depth chart a real path to contributing.
There’s another layer to it, too. By building the room this way, the Raiders are giving themselves more room to keep adding to the position without getting boxed in financially. With production spread across five to 10 players in each game, it becomes a lot harder for one receiver to push aggressively for a major payday.
The season is still young, and plenty can change. But after winning three games all of last season, the Raiders are already sitting on a two-game winning streak, and that says plenty about how this offseason reset has started to take shape.
In Other News...
Raiders Cornerback Battle Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Klint Kubiak had plenty to say about the Raiders young cornerbacks after Week 2, and the conversation around the secondary only got more interesting. Hezekiah Masses turned heads with two interceptions, giving the rookie a real case to keep climbing the depth chart, while Jermod McCoy remains in the middle of his development plan and Darien Porters return gives the staff another evaluation point as the defense keeps sorting out its pieces.
For a Raiders team that is still trying to define roles on the back end, the cornerback battle now has some real texture beyond simple training-camp speculation. Kubiaks praise for Masses suggests the door is open for a bigger opportunity, but the staff is clearly weighing more than just one hot game as it looks at how McCoy grows and how Porter fits back into the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Depth Chart Is Revealing A Few Big Week 3 Questions
The Raiders have spent the first two weeks giving themselves a little breathing room, and now the depth chart is starting to tell a more interesting story as they prepare for New Orleans. At 2-0 after the win over the Chargers, Las Vegas is no longer just living off early momentum. The discussion has shifted to who is locking down bigger roles, which contributors are driving the offense and defense, and how much the teams improved play on that side of the ball is changing the shape of the roster.
Week 3 brings a few questions that should help clarify the picture, especially as the Raiders continue to sort out player performance and health. Some names are pushing for more responsibility, others are being monitored closely, and the way those pieces fit against the Saints could say plenty about where this team is headed next. For a club that has already shown real progress, the next step is less about the record and more about which depth-chart decisions end up holding when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Suddenly Look Deeper Than Anyone Expected
The Raiders offseason overhaul is starting to show up in the sort of way that gets attention early in the year. A new coaching staff and a series of roster upgrades have given Las Vegas a sturdier look on both sides of the ball, and the defensive line in particular has been disruptive enough to sit tied for the league lead in sacks. Even with the usual caveats that come with a fresh setup, the group looks deeper and more complete than it did a year ago.
There is still room for the offense to grow, especially with Brock Bowers sidelined for now, though his return should give the unit another useful piece. Kirk Cousins has kept things moving at quarterback and the early signs have been encouraging, but the bigger long-term question is how much better the group can look once Fernando Mendoza eventually takes over under center. For a team that spent the offseason trying to change its outlook, the early returns suggest the ceiling may be higher than many expected. [Read more 🡒]