The Raiders’ trade deadline wish list is pretty easy to read.
Las Vegas has spent the offseason and the first stretch of the 2026 regular season searching for help in different places, but the biggest holes are staring everyone in the face. If the Raiders swing a deal, the priority should be on the offensive line, the secondary, and possibly wide receiver.
Up front, Sunday only sharpened the point. The Raiders are already trying to get the Tyler Linderbaum investment moving in the right direction, but the group still needs more help.
Las Vegas started Caleb Rogers over Jackson Powers-Johnson against the Bills, and while Rogers had some good moments, he also had his share of rough ones. Kolton Miller remains effective overall, but he is not the same player he used to be.
Spencer Burford is still a question mark.
The depth is just as concerning as the starters. The Raiders are thin at both guard spots, and they do not have trustworthy answers behind the guys currently playing inside.
Even the current starters along the interior line have yet to fully prove they can be counted on. The unit kept Cousins clean again Sunday, but it still gave up multiple pressures and had trouble opening lanes in the run game.
After the Week 6 loss to Buffalo, Kubiak summed up where the line stands.
"I think Spencer has been a really great addition for our team. I think he's a guy that's continuing to improve. Overall, as an offensive line, I really like what we're doing protecting the quarterback,” Kubiak said the day after the game.
“I like how our quarterback's getting the ball out on time, and he knows Spencer and Tyler [Linderbaum] and Kolton [Miller] and DJ [Glaze] and Caleb [Rogers] and the whole offensive line knows that we have to improve in the run game blocking if we want to get to where we want to get.”
Another spot that jumps out is cornerback. The Raiders trust their young defensive backfield, but that group was also viewed as the roster’s most vulnerable area before the season began. If there’s one defensive upgrade that would make sense in a trade, adding another corner feels like the cleanest fit.
Kubiak was blunt about what young defensive backs have to deal with.
“I think the best advice you can give them is that you just keep playing. Especially as a defensive back, you're going to get beat, and when you get beat everybody in the free world is going to know it because it's on TV,” Kubiak said.
“When a defensive lineman misses his gap, they're going to show the guy that missed the tackle. So, you got to have thick skin, and you got to move on to the next play. Just keep playing, keep competing,”
Wide receiver also belongs on the list, even if it may not be as urgent as the line or the secondary. Jalen Nailor returned to the lineup Sunday against Buffalo, and Tre Tucker had a productive day highlighted by a long touchdown from Cousins late in the game. Still, the Raiders are not close to where they want to be at that spot.
They continue to miss Jack Bech, and the sense is that receiver will remain an offseason need unless the picture changes. For now, if Las Vegas makes a move before the deadline, a wideout could be near the top of the board.
Nailor’s return seemed to give the offense a better chance to function than it had in Week 5, even if the box score did not fully show it. Kubiak said the impact went beyond the stat sheet.
"He had targets. He got called on.
We threw a double move to him, and they had a penalty on him. He caught a choice route.
I thought Jalen [Nailor] was great to have him back. You could feel his presence out there and just got to keep finding ways to get him the ball because he's a really good player.
He's a player that I'm counting on, that we're counting on, that's going to continue to ascend," Kubiak said.
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