Raiders' Brass Knows What To Look For As OTAs Near

The number of new components for the Las Vegas Raiders as they enter the 2026 season is significant. Las Vegas has made sweeping changes to its coaching staff and roster in just a few short months. The rest of the offseason will allow Las Vegas to begin putting those pieces together.

Raiders' Reality

Las Vegas is coming off several consecutive losing seasons. The Raiders have struggled in nearly every facet of the game over the past few years. The Raiders' front office revamped the coaching staff and has begun revamping its roster. It is now time for them to get to work in the field.

On paper, the Raiders have undoubtedly improved their roster from last season's. However, they will need much more than improvement on paper. They may not have playoff expectations, but Las Vegas made its offseason moves expecting them to directly impact the win column.

For that impact to happen, and soon, the Raiders will need to establish a new set of leaders on the team around the leaders that are already there. The ability to contribute on the field and in the locker room was considered by the Raiders' General Manager, John Spytek, when signing players.

There were several traits the Raiders were looking for in free agency and the NFL Draft before adding the players they did.

Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak recently noted how important those traits were for both the veterans they signed and their rookies, many of whom are talented and come from other collegiate or professional teams with a winning culture.

This may seem insignificant, but that is far from the case for a team that has lost nearly 40 games combined in the past three seasons. The Raiders need more than just a revamped coaching staff and roster. They need a team where the pieces they are assembling know what it takes to win.

"Accountable guys that obviously have produced on the field, coming from winning teams, guys that football is important to them," Kubiak said.

"It's easy to say that, but when you talk to the people that have coached them, talk to their college teams, you talk to their teammates. 'What is this guy like when things get hard?' Because there's going to be adversity. It's not going to be perfect. So, you want guys that can handle things the right when it gets tough."

Raiders' Needs

The Raiders have found the types of players they believe will help them turn things around. Las Vegas' coaching staff will now spend the next few weeks and months looking for players who stand out for one reason or another. Offseason workouts are set to begin, bringing opportunities.

Kubiak recently explained how critical the rest of the offseason will be for him, his coaching staff, and his new team.

“Obviously, you don't get as much practice time as you used to get. The OTAs are different than they were 15 years ago, there's less time. And it feels like with every day that goes by, they're trying to take even more from you there. The development is tough, so you got to be really intentional with your time,” Kubiak said.

“You got to know probably who's going to play for you, because you're not having as many position battles, because there's only so many reps to go around. The most obvious thing is that the minute that guy gets on the field, all eyes are on them, and all of the success that you hope for them to have, you put on their coaching staff, and you try to put them in a great position to be successful.”

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