Forget the offseason hype. If the Las Vegas Raiders are building something real, these four areas will tell the story.
Las Vegas doesn’t need a miracle this season, just some proof that last year’s disasters were symptoms and not a permanent diagnosis. Here’s where to look if you’re paying attention.
1. Brock Bowers has to bounce back
Calling Bowers’ rookie year good undersells it. He topped every tight end in the league in receiving yards and broke a Mike Ditka record that had survived since 1961. A knee injury took five games away from him in Year 2, yet he still tied for fifth among tight ends in touchdowns. Now he’s healthy again, and that alone should scare defensive coordinators. The Raiders’ offense ought to be built around him without apology.
Luckily for No. 89, it does appear new head coach Klint Kubiak will be doing just that.
2. No more bandages at quarterback
Geno Smith’s 2025 was rough to watch, and neither backup did much to change the channel. Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza are the answers now, one for this year and one for down the road. The bar is set low, almost comically so: just be below average. If Cousins looks capable and Mendoza shows real flashes, that counts as progress for a group that had nowhere to go but up.
This is a classic interpretation of “you can only go up from here.”
3. The offensive line’s interior
Last year’s tackle play was the worst in football, so faint praise goes to the guards, who simply weren’t the worst thing about the line. With Kolton Miller healthy again and DJ Glaze locked in at right tackle, the real competition is happening on either side of center Tyler Linderbaum, where five players have a real case to start.
This group is young too, so a strong showing from the starters says something bigger about where the trenches are headed.
Related: Raiders fans can now relax with Fernando Mendoza at training camp
4. Do the Raiders know something we don’t about their WR room?
This is a room full of traits and short on track record. The Raiders didn’t add much this offseason, and plenty of people noticed, but there’s enough talent here that someone could click in Kubiak’s system. Seven or eight guys are chasing roster spots and real roles. All it takes is one of them proving he can be trusted every week. Depth helps, sure, but Las Vegas still needs that one guy, and right now nobody’s claimed the job.
Add it all up and the ask isn’t for Las Vegas to be great in 2026. It’s just to show the flashes of competence are real.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty ImagesÂ