Raiders Have Lots of Room To Prove Doubters Wrong in 2026

The Las Vegas Raiders have a much-needed roster upgrade going into the new season. The Raiders need it, given what they have shown over the last few seasons. The Raiders are looking to start something new with the new coaching staff.

Las Vegas' roster has not been good, and it has shown on the field. Something needed to happen for this team to have better results. That is why the new coaching staff, along with general manager John Spytek, went out and signed key free agents and drafted good, young, talented players.

Klint Kubiak | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Raiders' Roster Looking Good

The roster has a lot of good pieces on both sides of the ball. And you cannot forget about the special teams, which features a great punter in AJ Cole, one of the best in the NFL. The rest of the special teams have to put it together because they are unfamiliar with this team. The team still has some holes on both sides of the ball, but this time around, they have players to fill them. Before, they didn't have adequate players, and sometimes would just throw in players out there with no plan.

As we get closer to the regular season, a new roster ranking for the Raiders is out, covering all 32 teams in the NFL. It was not a good ranking for the Raiders. ESPN ranked the Raiders roster going into the new season at No. 27.

Las Vegas Raiders P AJ Cole | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Raiders' Best and Worst Position Groups

"Interior defensive line. The good news is that the Raiders have some continuity up front, returning all three interior linemen who played at least 50% of their defensive snaps last season...," said ESPN's Mike Clay on the biggest weakness for the Raiders in 2026.

"...Free agent addition Benito Jones, Tonka Hemingway, and JJ Pegues also struggled in 2025 and will compete for snaps up front."

They see the Raiders' best strength in their tight end room. The Raiders have the best tight end in the NFL in Brock Bowers, and they also have a good backup tight end in Michael Mayer. With head coach Klint Kubiak, that is a great thing to have because he loves to use tight ends in his offense. And both of those tight ends do everything well at the position. They can both catch the ball and block well. This Raiders team is going to be better than many expect.

Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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