What We Learned at Raiders Training Camp: Biggest Additions Getting to Know Each Other

HENDERSON, Nev. — Sometimes it’s better to let situations play out, even when you think you’re being a jerk. That may sound like terrible advice, but I’m glad my Uber driver waited in a long line of cars before dropping me off at the Raiders’ facility for training camp on Wednesday morning.

I nearly told the driver to pull over so I could make the short walk to the gate and allow him to continue with his day. But I didn’t because it was already 90 degrees at 7 a.m. and I wasn’t sure the security guard would allow me in while on foot.

It’s already 91 degrees in Henderson pic.twitter.com/p50K71jwVy
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) July 29, 2026

So we waited, and I’m glad we did. The driver was excited to go through the gates as he snapped a few pictures of the Al Davis Memorial Torch, which was probably naturally lit from the scorching sun.

It all worked out, including for center Tyler Linderbaum, who just a few months ago was unsure where he would play football in 2026. After spending his first four seasons in Baltimore, the Raiders’ prized free-agent addition has gotten acclimated to his new surroundings, working with first-year coach Klint Kubiak and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Linderbaum also doesn’t mind having early morning practices.

“I think my time back in Iowa, we were certainly [practicing] early in the morning,” Linderbaum told Sports Illustrated. “I don’t know if it was quite 7:30, but it’s better just to get out here and get it done.”

Here’s what I learned from my training camp visit with the Raiders, starting with my conversation with Linderbaum.

Lots of cameras for first Raiders camp practice of 2026 pic.twitter.com/2rdnFV7fek
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) July 29, 2026

Linderbaum excited for Fernando Mendoza’s future

Not surprisingly, Linderbaum has spent most of his time working with Cousins, who will likely be the Week 1 starter despite the team selecting Mendoza with the first pick in April’s draft.

Linderbaum has plenty on his plate to make sure this offense with many moving parts is ready for the season opener against the Dolphins on Sept. 13. But Linderbaum has also taken time to get to know Mendoza away from football.

It’s unknown when the two will work together on the field. It could be in a few weeks, maybe months or next year. But it’s going to happen eventually, and Linderbaum, who signed a three-year, $81 million contract in March, was added in large part to make life easier for a young quarterback.

He’s already doing that by letting Mendoza know he’s there for him, on and off the field, regardless of whether he’s the starter or the backup.

“You’re going to get your reps, but you also want to get to know him as a person,” Linderbaum said about the rookie QB. “I’ve been out to dinner with Fernando. He’s a guy who wants to be great and I’m excited for his opportunities in the future. But the more you can build those relationships with the younger guys, I think the better off your team is going to be.”

Fernando Mendoza taking some reps at Raiders training camp 🎯 pic.twitter.com/8qFyqVXKtn
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 29, 2026

Maybe don’t expect a dinner and a movie for Linderbaum and Mendoza because the center isn’t a film buff like the Heisman Trophy winner. At the moment, Linderbaum has no interest in seeing The Odyssey, the No. 1 movie in the country the past few weeks.

“I don’t know that you’ll catch me at a movie theater with Fernando, but you never know,” Linderbaum said.

Linderbaum has high praise for Maxx Crosby

Crosby nearly joined Linderbaum’s former team in Baltimore, but the Ravens backed out of the trade in March and the star edge rusher ended up back in Las Vegas with the center.

Linderbaum is glad he doesn’t have to face Crosby in games anymore because Crosby had two sacks the last time the Raiders played the Ravens in 2024. But that doesn’t mean Crosby will go easy on him in practice.

“He’s a guy who can really motivate you just by watching him practice and work,” Linderbaum said. “The more guys that you have on your team that are similar to that, that just spew off greatness and want to be great and want to be better each and every day and want to learn, the better your team is going to be.”

A few Mendoza observations

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Mendoza opened camp as the No. 2 quarterback, behind Cousins and ahead of Aidan O’Connell. But it says something that the team already has enough trust in Mendoza to be the backup and may even be giving him a chance to compete for the job.

This is different from what the Rams are doing with Ty Simpson, the other quarterback drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. Simpson has been going third in practice, behind reigning MVP Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett.

The Rams will have a longer, slower developmental plan for Simpson while he waits his turn with Stafford around. The Raiders have Cousins, but the team might be preparing Mendoza as if he could play on any given snap.

Additionally, there were a few times Wednesday that the coaches asked Mendoza to play uptempo with the No. 2 offense. It was just Day 1 of camp practice, but the Raiders seem to be throwing plenty at their No. 1 pick.

Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty could thrive under Kubiak

The Raiders’ top two skill-position players have flown quietly under the radar a bit with most of the focus on the team’s quarterbacks.

But Bowers appears healthy and didn’t sport a knee brace in Wednesday’s practice. He struggled last season after sustaining a knee injury in the season opener against the Patriots. Bowers’s numbers drastically dipped from his dominant rookie season of 112 catches, 1,194 yards and 5 TDs to only 64 catches for 680 yards and 7 TDs last season.

Brock Bowers at the office 🏈 pic.twitter.com/tH4u8fL5ZA
— Gilberto Manzano (@GManzano24) July 29, 2026

As for Jeanty, it was an uphill battle for him as a rookie in 2025. There weren’t many running lanes, but that could change behind Linderbaum and in Kubiak’s offensive scheme. Jeanty, last year’s No. 6 pick, averaged 3.7 yards per carry, finishing with 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

One more thing I learned …

This might not be new, but the Las Vegas airport has various dumping stations for liquids before going through the security checkpoint. I wasn’t the only one who had to wait to dump water, which is understandable with it being nearly 110 degrees in Vegas daily this summer.

That was probably the first time I chugged with a group of people since college. Or last year. Who knows.

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