The Raiders have spent years chasing stability. This offseason, they finally started building it in a way that looks sustainable: by stacking depth and forcing real competition at nearly every level.
That shift is most obvious up front. Las Vegas has long been a team where backups were just placeholders, guys who often didn’t fit the next coach or the next general manager’s idea of what the roster should be.
This year feels different. The Raiders are entering camp with multiple players pushing for jobs, and that’s changing the tone of the entire operation.
The quarterback battle was the first clear sign. The team brought in Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins to challenge Aidan O’Connell, turning the spot into a three-man competition. Nobody can coast when there are that many bodies in the mix, and that kind of pressure has been part of the Raiders’ reset from the start.
The same thing is happening in the trenches, where Las Vegas has quietly made itself harder to knock around. General Manager John Spytek has pieced together a more competitive group on the offensive line, even with some draft picks still trying to become what the team hoped they’d be. The latest move only adds to that.
Evan Neal, a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who never developed into a steady starting offensive tackle with the New York Giants, is now on the Raiders’ practice squad. Neal was released by New York, but Las Vegas saw enough upside to bring him in, and the expectation is that he’ll keep working on the interior offensive line.
That matters because it changes the math for the rest of the group. Jackson Powers-Johnson and Spencer Burford are no longer locked into starting spots, and Caleb Rogers has also started to look like part of the mix. The result is a line that has more competition, more options and, at least on paper, a much better chance of surviving injuries.
The same depth-building approach has carried over to the defense. After roster cuts, the Raiders added Azeez Ojulari, another former Georgia Bulldog, to a pass-rush group that already includes Kwity Paye. On the interior, Tonka Hemingway and Adam Butler appear positioned to start, while last season’s trade for Thomas Booker IV gives the unit a higher floor.
All of that is especially important for Maxx Crosby. “The Condor” has dealt with a string of lower-body injuries, and his snap count is expected to come down this season. That makes the rest of the rotation more important than ever, and Malcolm Koonce and Patrick Johnson give Las Vegas a chance to keep the line functional when Crosby isn’t on the field.
The Raiders still need more blue-chip talent across the roster. That part hasn’t changed. But for the first time in a while, they look built to win where it matters most in the NFL: in the trenches.
In Other News...
Raiders Suddenly Have A Backfield Decision They Didn't Expect
Mike Washington Jr. has gone from a rookie camp curiosity to one of the more interesting developments in Raiders camp, and it happened quickly. The first-year running back has impressed enough in the preseason that general manager John Spytek singled him out as a perfect scheme fit, pointing to the way Washington has handled his opportunities and the efficiency he showed when games started counting toward evaluation.
The bigger wrinkle now is how the backfield gets sorted out while Ashton Jeanty deals with an ankle injury. Washington has been taking first-team snaps in practice, which suggests the Raiders are seriously weighing a larger role for him as they sort through a situation they may not have expected this soon. For a team trying to settle its running game, Washington's rise has turned a depth-chart question into one of the more intriguing decisions left on the table. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders May Need Their Biggest Strength More Than Ever
As the Raiders line up for the upcoming season, one of their clearest advantages sits right in the middle of the defense. A strong interior defensive line gives Las Vegas a place to lean while the roster around it still sorts through some obvious questions, especially in a young secondary that will be asked to grow up quickly. Second-year lineman Tonka Hemingway has been one of the encouraging developments, showing real growth and putting himself in position to compete for a starting job.
That front could wind up being more important than ever if the back end needs extra help early in the season. The coaching staff is planning to rotate defensive linemen to keep everyone fresh, a move that should help the group hold up across four quarters and cover for vulnerabilities elsewhere on the defense. For the Raiders, the plan is simple enough: let one of their strongest units carry more of the load while the rest of the defense comes together. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Leave The Door Open In A QB Battle Fans Cant Ignore
The Raiders entered this stretch with one of the leagues more closely watched quarterback rooms, and John Spytek made it clear the team has no plans to trim it down yet. Las Vegas is keeping Kirk Cousins, Aidan OConnell and Fernando Mendoza on the roster, a move that underscores how much the organization values the competition and the different things each passer brings as the group works through camp and the preseason.
Cousins still sits atop the depth chart as the starter, but the real intrigue is in how the backup spots have settled around him. Spytek pointed to Mendozas development and OConnells preseason showing as reasons the Raiders are comfortable carrying all three, and for now the message is simple: both reserves are prepared to step in if called upon, leaving the rest of the evaluation very much alive. [Read more 🡒]