The Las Vegas Raiders spent another offseason retooling, and for once, the moves look purposeful rather than desperate.
General manager John Spytek focused on improving the offensive line, enhancing the speed and depth of the defense, and bringing in a well-credentialed veteran quarterback to help transition to the future.
Still, for all the additions, this remains a team defined by open questions. The way those questions are addressed during training camp will significantly influence whether 2026 represents progress or yet another disappointing season disguised by offseason hype.
Fernando Mendoza’s timeline
Every conversation about this roster eventually circles back to the quarterback position and specifically to heralded rookie Fernando Mendoza. Kirk Cousins, who has history with coach Klint Kubiak’s scheme from their time together in Minnesota, is the logical Week 1 starter. That is not a knock on Mendoza. Rather, it’s an acknowledgment that rushing a rookie quarterback before he is ready has burned this franchise before, and nobody in the building wants a repeat of the JaMarcus Russell era.
The complicating factor is performance. If Mendoza looks sharp in camp or outplays Cousins in the preseason, the pressure to make a switch will be immediate and loud. Kubiak has denied that Cousins is there purely to mentor, but the value of his experience will matter regardless of the official job description.
The smart bet is that Cousins opens the season under center, but this is a situation to watch closely rather than assume will play out on schedule.
Related: How Patrick Graham’s Raiders tenure really ended
Klint Kubiak’s supporting cast
Whoever plays quarterback will have real weapons around him. That much is for certain.
Tight end Brock Bowers is already one of the best at his position in the league, and running back Ashton Jeanty enters his second season looking to bounce back from a rough rookie year. Beyond that duo, the picture gets murkier. Tre Tucker remains the top receiver, but Jack Bech, Dont’e Thornton Jr. and free agent addition Jalen Nailor are all fighting for defined roles.
Kubiak’s early task is distributing touches widely enough that defenses cannot simply key on Bowers and Jeanty.
Jeanty’s outlook deserves particular optimism. Last season’s offensive line was one of the league’s worst, and former coordinator Chip Kelly’s fixation on tweaking his stance rather than building around him did the rookie no favors. With serious investment along the line, including the addition of center Tyler Linderbaum and a healthy Kolton Miller, Jeanty should finally get the room to operate that his talent deserves.
The hypotheticals point toward a breakout, but for a back with his pedigree, they should not have been hypothetical in the first place.
More: How Patrick Graham’s Raiders tenure really ended
The Raiders’ defense got a serious makeover
If the offense is a work in progress, the defense looks like the more finished product.
New defensive coordinator Rob Leonard inherits a unit anchored by Maxx Crosby, whose offseason included a since scrapped trade to Baltimore and a lengthy injury rehab. Crosby has been clear that he will not be full speed at the start of camp, calling his workload “slightly limited” while he builds back up. That’s the right approach for a player who has had eight surgeries in seven seasons, and Raiders fans should not read too much into a measured ramp-up.
Around Crosby, the Raiders added edge rusher Kwity Paye and rookie Keyron Crawford, plus linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker in free agency. The secondary got a similar refresh, headlined by slot corner Taron Johnson and rookies Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy.
Stukes, in particular, arrives with buzz. One NFL general manager reportedly compared him to Kyle Hamilton-style versatility, and analyst Adam Schefter noted before the draft that at least one team preferred Stukes to Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, a first-round pick. That kind of praise creates real expectations, and camp will be the first test of whether they are warranted.
Crosby’s individual accolades are also worth tracking. He finished eighth in AP All-Pro voting last year despite missing time, and with a lighter overall workload possibly boosting his efficiency, he has a case to crack the first or second team again, even in a crowded field that includes Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt caliber competition.
Some final thoughts…
This is still a team in transition, caught between a youth movement and a spending spree aimed at contention. Both things can be true, and that tension is exactly why 2026 is hard to project. The offensive line additions and defensive depth suggest a roster capable of real improvement. The quarterback situation and a stacked AFC West suggest patience will still be required.
The fairest expectation is a Raiders team that is clearly better, clearly more competitive, and not yet a true contender. Anything approaching a playoff berth would be a genuine achievement given the division. However, if there isn’t any discernible improvement overall, this offseason’s aggressive spending may have been little more than treading water.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images