1 Thing Raiders Are Banking on in 2026

The Las Vegas Raiders have made enough changes across the board this offseason to garner expectations of improvement. Las Vegas' front office left no stone unturned in its efforts to improve. The Raiders enter the 2026 season with a team that should be more competitive.

Yet, for them to actually be a more competitive team, a few things need to happen.

Raiders' ROI

The Raiders' many offseason additions will have been well noted. Still, it will be the improved use of running back Ashton Jeanty that will arguably play a bigger factor in the team's success in the immediate future. In fact, several of the Raiders' offseason moves directly impact Jeanty.

All of the Raiders' offseason additions are needed, but many of them were added with the notion in mind of playing off of Jeanty, directly or indirectly. Jeanty factored into Klint Kubiak's decision to accept the head coaching position. Tyler Linderbaum should help open more holes for Jeanty.

Kirk Cousins should elevate the Raiders' quarterback position, which will take pressure off Jeanty. The addition of Jalen Nailor and Mike Washington helps Jeanty. Many of the Raiders' moves help Jeanty in one way or another. As they head into 2026, fully unleashing him has to be top of mind.

The Raiders used a premium draft pick on Jeanty, only to hand him a bad supporting cast. After this offseason, that will no longer be a problem. Sometimes, investing more in an investment is the best way to get the most out of it. That is where the Raiders are with Jeanty and others.

Jeanty's Next Step

Jeanty is entering his second season, the season many believe is when players make the most professional improvement. They need Jeanty to do so, as their season will depend on it. The second-year running back recently explained how this offseason differed from his first.

“I'd say just my routine. Obviously, rookie year, you don't really get a true offseason, so still even this year, this is my like first real one, so figuring out how I want my diet to be, what time I want to train. Like, when do I want to start training? When should I take a vacation? So, just dialing in all those things, so I can be ready to go," Jeanty said following OTAs.

Jeanty has not only spent the offseason working on his own but also with his teammates, and he has been in contact with several notable running backs from around the league. This gave Jeanty an opportunity to learn new ideas on how he can perfect his craft.

“I think just looking at what I've done, and just trying to critique that, but also just talking to other guys who've been in the league. Obviously, he's not here anymore, but Raheem [Mostert] was a guy I talked to about that. At the Fanatics flag football game, I was talking to Alvin Kamara a lot, so just trying to learn and take things from different people and apply it to myself,” Jeanty said.

Breaking the Raiders' rookie franchise record for scrimmage yards is nice, but the Raiders need even more from Jeanty. In 2026, the Raiders are banking on Jeanty taking the next step. Las Vegas' front office and coaching staff know they must do their part to set him up for success.

However, as things currently stand, it appears to be the Raiders' responsibility to take care of things on the field. None of the improvements the Raiders made will matter much if they are still unable to run the ball. In 2026, the Raiders are banking on Jeanty for more reasons than one.

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