The Raiders are out of training camp, through the preseason, and into the part of the calendar where the roster is mostly set. And while Las Vegas has clearly taken steps forward after a busy stretch of free agency and the NFL Draft, the work is nowhere close to finished.
That was the reality before camp began, and it still is now. The Raiders have upgraded across the board, but some of the same weak spots that made last year such a climb remain on the board. With Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins looming, these are still positions where Las Vegas could use more help - and probably won’t be getting much of it in the next two weeks.
Offensive line sits at the top of the list.
This is still a group in the middle of a longer rebuild, and the Raiders are searching for a combination they can actually grow with. Kolton Miller likely only has a couple of seasons left.
DJ Glaze has been dependable, but he still needs more work. There’s optimism around Tyler Linderbaum, but the questions at both guard spots are real, and the depth behind the starters remains shaky.
One injury could send the whole thing into a bad place fast.
And the history here is ugly. In 2025, Las Vegas had what was arguably the worst offensive line in the league, allowing the most sacks and finishing with the fewest rushing yards of any team. The Raiders probably won’t be that bad again, but that doesn’t mean the problem is solved.
General manager John Spytek said he saw enough growth in camp and the preseason to feel encouraged.
“I think we ran it very well in the preseason, and that's a good starting point. But we have a long way to go. Certainly, we're excited with Tyler Linderbaum, and what he's brought to that room from a leadership standpoint, a professional standpoint, but also a play standpoint,” Spytek said.
“Like every position group, we're just looking for constant improvement and embracing the coaching and understanding a new scheme. That's hard for those guys to understand another new scheme.
But I think they're all leaning into it well, and I'm excited about the track that they're on. But again, they have to go earn it here in a week and a half."
Cornerback is another spot that still needs attention.
The Raiders have been trying to fix that room for several seasons, and the addition of Darrell Luter only reinforces that the job is far from done. Even after using three draft picks on cornerbacks over the past two drafts and adding two more in free agency over the same span, Las Vegas still felt the need to bring in another body.
That won’t be the last move there, either. The Raiders are still building the position group, and it sounds like they know it could take time. Assistant general manager Brian Stark pointed to Luter’s experience and special teams value.
"Darrell [Luter Jr.]'s a good football player. He's played quality regular season snaps. He's a good special teams player,” Stark said.
“He just saw the opportunity to add a player that's got a little bit of experience to him to [add to] that room because we've got a very competitive room, but some young players in there. So, his experience is what was intriguing to us."
Wide receiver is the other major area that remains unsettled.
Las Vegas is trying to solve that room by committee, and until the receivers show they can do it consistently, there’s still going to be a need for more help. The problem is simple: the Raiders don’t have a proven receiver on the roster.
There also may not be many proven options left to chase. The Raiders could still look to add another pass-catcher, but the bigger answer may have to come from within. For that to happen, 2026 has to be the year their young receivers finally start turning promise into production.
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Raiders QB Plan Already Comes With One Big Problem
The Raiders have already settled on their quarterback plan for 2026, putting Kirk Cousins at the top of the depth chart over rookie Fernando Mendoza and Aidan OConnell. Klint Kubiaks decision leans heavily on Cousins experience and leadership, a sensible enough place to start for a team trying to steady itself and avoid another season of uncertainty under center.
But the choice still comes with an obvious catch for Las Vegas, because the biggest question around the offense may not be who is taking the snaps so much as who is keeping the pocket intact. If the offensive line continues to be an issue, the case for Mendoza as the longer-term answer only gets stronger, and the Raiders could find themselves weighing present-day stability against a future built on better protection. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offense Suddenly Has One Touches Question Fans Can't Ignore
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What makes it interesting is how tightly all of those roles may connect once the season starts. If Cousins is throwing at a steady clip, Bowers and the receivers can feed off that volume, while Jeantys workload could determine how balanced or pass-heavy the offense becomes from week to week. For bettors looking at individual markets, that creates a familiar Raiders question with a new cast: which player is actually set up to get the touches that matter most, and which one is going to be left waiting for opportunity? [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Offensive Staff Overhaul Says Everything About Last Seasons Problems
The Raiders changes on offense say plenty about how the organization felt about last seasons problems, especially up front. Las Vegas struggled with its offensive line in 2025, and internal sources described the coaching there as among the worst they had seen, a stinging assessment that helps explain why the team moved quickly to reset that side of the ball.
Rick Dennison arrives as the new offensive line coach for 2026, with the expectation that he can bring cleaner fundamentals and better technique to a unit that badly needed both. The overhaul did not stop there, either, as the Raiders also upgraded at quarterbacks coach by hiring Mike Sullivan, whose long NFL background and prior working relationship with offensive coordinator Kubiak should give the staff more continuity as it tries to stabilize the offense. [Read more 🡒]