The Las Vegas Raiders are trying to rebuild the right way, and the early signs under John Spytek and Klint Kubiak point to a team that’s finally letting performance drive the conversation.
That sounds basic, but it’s been a meaningful shift in Las Vegas. After years of bad personnel decisions helped sink the roster in 2024 and 2025, the Raiders are now in the middle of a cleanup job that has already stripped away a lot of the old mistakes. Under Spytek and Kubiak, the focus has turned to development, evaluation and giving players a real shot to prove themselves.
Training camp offered that chance across the board. The Raiders opened the door for players with all kinds of backgrounds and experience levels, then let the competition sort itself out. That approach has already produced a better roster, and it has put a few unexpected names on the map.
Hezekiah Masses, Treydan Stukes and Spencer Burford are among the players who climbed the ladder during camp. Another is defensive end Patrick Johnson, who backed up a strong camp with a pair of preseason performances that clearly caught Spytek’s attention.
“I'll give some respect and some props to Patrick Johnson. This is a guy that we signed on the eve of training camp, like, literally the eve of training camp, and credit to our pro department for setting up that workout and bringing quality guys in like him,” Spytek said following cutdown day.
“He had followed Patrick for many years with his career in Philadelphia and respected the kind of player, teammate, and special teams player he is. But every day he showed up and worked, and he got better and better. And you go to the last preseason game against the [San Francisco] 49ers, and it's a make-or-break game for a lot of guys, and who makes the first tackle on the first kickoff is Patrick Johnson."
Johnson fits the larger point. If a player produces, the Raiders’ staff is willing to reward it. That is the kind of opportunity structure Kubiak has put in place, and it’s a big reason this early rebuild feels different.
The franchise still has plenty of work ahead. One offseason won’t erase the damage from several years of poor roster building, and Las Vegas will need more time to put together a group that can compete every week. But this offseason was a legitimate start.
For now, Kubiak has to coach the roster in front of him. That means keeping depth chart decisions tied to what happens on the field, even if that means playing younger, less experienced players in real games. The Raiders can’t afford to keep burying young talent behind veterans if they want growth.
Players have to earn those snaps, and that process starts in practice. But after watching some of the team’s better young talent sit behind older options in recent years, giving those players game-day reps is the only way to speed up their development.
Practice can only teach so much. Sunday experience is what closes the gap.
In Other News...
Raiders Depth Chart Just Settled Several Big Week 1 Battles
The Raiders finally put some structure around the opening weeks of their 2026 season by releasing an official depth chart before Week 1, and it answered several of the roster questions that had lingered through camp. Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback, while battles at right guard and the second cornerback spot are now settled on paper, giving Las Vegas a clearer sense of how the first game plan will come together.
There is also some important clarity on special teams and the back end of the defense, where Dylan Laube and Dareke Young will handle kick returns and Malik Benson is listed as the punt returner. On defense, veteran Foley Fatukasi has carved out a meaningful place in the defensive tackle rotation, and Stukes is set to start at free safety ahead of Isaiah Pola-Mao, a sign the Raiders are leaning into a few different lineup choices as they head into the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Brock Bowers Suddenly Leaves Raiders With A Big Week 1 Problem
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For a Raiders team trying to get its footing in Week 1, the timing is far from ideal. Bowers had already dealt with a knee issue earlier in 2025, and his absence has even moved the betting market for the upcoming matchup with the Miami Dolphins, a reminder of how much pressure now falls on the rest of the offense to pick up the slack. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders May Be Ready To Use Brock Bowers Very Differently
The early read on Brock Bowers in Las Vegas is that the Raiders may not be treating him like a conventional tight end at all. Head coach Klint Kubiak is expected to feature the first-round pick heavily in the offense, and the buzz around the league has only grown as former coaches and media voices have described him as the kind of weapon who can shape how a passing game is built.
That shift matters for a team that took plenty of heat when it used a first-round pick on Bowers in the first place, only for the move to start looking smarter to outside evaluators. The more intriguing question now is how far the Raiders are willing to go in pushing his role beyond the traditional tight-end label, especially with some around the game already talking about him in terms usually reserved for wide receivers. [Read more 🡒]