Klint Kubiak Dishes on Raiders' Most Important Offseason Addition

The Las Vegas Raiders had a laundry list of problems that continued to compound as the 2025 season progressed. Along with an overall lack of talent, coaching and injuries, the Raiders struggled for various reasons, leading to a 3-14 campaign and the firing of Pete Carroll at the end of the season.

Raiders' Struggles

It became apparent rather quickly that the Raiders not only struggled from a poorly built group of offensive linemen, but the unit also lacked direction from former offensive line coach Brennan Carroll. This impacted both the Raiders' coaching staff and locker room in several ways.

Las Vegas' offensvie line allowed the most sacks of any offensive line in the National Football League during the 2025 season. Geno Smith led the league in interceptions and the Raiders finished last in the league in rushing for yet another season. The offensive line was largely to blame for it all.

As the Raiders prepare to rebuild their roster around the arrival of presumed No. 1 pick, Fernando Mendoza, adding talent is a critical factor in their offseason plans for this season and beyond. Mendoza's arrival assures the Raiders will finally put in a full effort to thoroughly rebuild the line.

Still, Las Vegas' offensive line needs more than just talent; the unit needs proven and experienced coaching from its positional leader. Moving forward, that will be Rick Dennison, who has decades of coaching experience around the league and will be a critical part of Kubiak's staff.

The Raiders have essentially an entirely new coaching staff under Klint Kubiak's leadership. After being announced as the team's next head coach, Kubiak wasted no time adding coaches to his staff, filling out most of the staff within the first week of being on the job.

One of Kubiak's most notable hires, both logistically and personally, was Dennison. Las Vegas' offensive line is one of the top priorities this offseason and will remain so every offseason until the unit is completely fixed. Kubiak recently explained how critical he considers Dennison.

“I told Rick [Dennison], ‘I'm not going to Vegas without you,’ initially. I told him that in New Orleans, I told him that in Seattle. I've been really fortunate to get to work with Rick. He was the offensive coordinator when I worked with Denver, and he teaches me way more than I've ever told him," Kubiak said at the NFL Owners' Meetings.

"His experience in this scheme, his ability as a coach to get the best out of his players, his ability to scheme offensively. He's as good as it gets.”

The Raiders look to move past multiple seasons of subpar offensive line play. Improved talent and a better coaching staff should go a long way for Kubiak and the rebuilding Raiders' roster. In Dennison, the Raiders have addressed one of their most significant problems from the 2025 season.