Raiders’ Kubiak Won’t Sacrifice Franchise Vision for Short-Term Gain

MACKINAC ISLAND, MI—The Las Vegas Raiders are just 10 days away from opening the 2026 NFL regular season when they host the Miami Dolphins.

Squarely in the midst of a Raiders rebuild, first-year coach Klint Kubiak has marched and navigated his team through a relentless offseason and is ready to go on the attack.

It is imperative to remember that this team is finally on the same page from ownership to the janitorial staff; they know the destination is perennial NFL playoff contention, but that's for 2028, and 2026 is for improvement and growth.

Kubiak Breaks It Down

Since the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins, we have told you he would be the starter. In fact, while others tried to fan the flames of the Raider Nation, hyping a QB battle that never existed, we did our best to dampen those sentiments.

Klint Kubiak again made it clear.

"Kirk [Cousins] is going to be the starting quarterback. He was not out there today and that was by design, for a rest day, for a vet day.” Additionally, Kubiak added of Cousins, "He's played really good football. I'm really happy with all three of our quarterbacks. Kirk [Cousins]'s had a really good offseason, a very good camp, and he's earned it."

A Big Loss for Development

Kubiak also made it clear that a rookie who desperately needed the available 2026 reps for development won’t play. Not a blow to 2026 by any means, but a blow to that player’s development.

“Keyron [Crawford] has an Achilles and he'll be out for the season."

Kubiak added of his disappointment for the young man, "Yeah, he's come a long way. He's an extremely hard worker, a guy that has a bright future ahead of him, and he'll continue to develop even this year. When he's rehabbing, he's going to be dialed into the meetings, and he'll still improve. But I'm excited about getting him healthy for next season."

More Praise for a Normally Non-Verbose Coach

Mike Washington Jr. (MWJ) has been nothing short of terrific since setting aside his Arkansas Razorback helmet sticker for the storied Raiders eye patch. One of four RBs in the last NFL Draft that the Raiders craved, he was the prize in the eyes of his head coach, and Kubiak went into detail about what he thinks of his play so far.

"Mike [Washington]'s had a solid camp. He's got a big season ahead of him, just like a lot of these rookies that we're counting on. So, we're counting on coaching the heck out of them, keep developing them. Every year in the draft, there's guys that you're interested in, and then there's guys that maybe you're not, and sometimes the guys you're not, become your best players."

Aug 27, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. (30) warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"That's the thing about the NFL, which is so great. You think one thing, and then all of a sudden, guys come to camp, and they show you what their true colors are. So, I'm just looking forward to continue to develop him."

Ashton Jeanty Progress

Kubiak expects Jeanty to play against the Miami Dolphins, which should encourage Raider Nation. He and MWJ will be a 1-2 punch of football beauty, and that two-back RB system is the foundation of the Kubiak system.

Tap the Breaks, Welcome Back to Reality

GM John Spytek, when bragging about MWJ and his play this preseason, credited Kubiak for wanting the young man so badly. But true to the Kubiak doctrine that everything is about the organization, he deferred his boss's praise.

"Again, I've been wrong about a lot of players too, and Mike [Washington Jr.] is a rookie, hasn't played one game, and throughout the whole scouting process, I leaned on Spy [John Spytek], leaned on [Brian] Stark, leaned on BY [Brandon Yeargan], B-Hunt [Brandon Hunt]. Our scouting department has done a phenomenal job bringing in these young guys, and I know we talk a lot about Mike, but our entire draft class, I'm extremely excited about, and we're counting on those guys."

Preparation Is King

Throughout the coaching search, we repeatedly told you how the Raiders loved Kubiak’s approach to the game of football, and how his anal commitment to preparation mirrored that of Tom Brady and GM John Spytek.

He explained that, with the offseason over, things don't change in the preparation part of practice.

Aug 27, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak looks on during warmups before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Absolutely, practice changes. There's more look team periods. We still do a lot of competitive periods every day, but as far as the intensity of practice and our expectations, those don't change. You just have a narrowed focus on a new opponent.”

Waiver Wire Winners

John Spytek — Raiders | Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

The Las Vegas Raiders exercised their waiver-wire rights on a young man who was wanted by several teams. In fact, one NFC GM told me about Darrell Luter Jr., whom Spytek nabbed.

“He was the only guy three or more teams wanted." He was a great get for Spy, and Kubiak explained what he knew about the young man.

“Yeah, known him for a while since he was back in San Francisco. A guy that we're really excited to have on our roster for both defense and special teams.”

Don’t Ignore the Rookie

QB Fernando Mendoza | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Just because Fernando Mendoza isn't the starter doesn’t mean he gets placed in the cupboard until next season or on the back burner, wasting his time - far from it. Kubiak’s tutelage won’t stop as they continue to mold the future franchise QB into the young signal-caller they anticipate him to be.

“Yeah, early work, late work, more meetings, plenty of time on the field in between drills with Coach [Mike] Sullivan and Coach [Andrew] Janocko. Every player that is not starting the first game, then they're helping us on the look team. We're just trying to find every edge we can find to continue to get him better and his teammates better.”

Spytek’s Gift

Spytek and his staff found a diamond in the rough when they signed Patrick Johnson on the first day of training camp. A gift that paid enormous dividends in camp and subsequently led to him making the roster. A fact that doesn’t get past Kubiak.

"Since the moment he got here, all he's done is produce, work hard, and be a great teammate. Expect that to continue."

Clarifying the Vision

Before cutting the roster to 53 last Sunday, Kubiak was constantly evaluating 90 players. Not an easy task. So is it easier for the first-year coach with only 53, plus the additional 17 on the practice squad?

Mark Davis, Tom Brady — Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

"I think that's something you're working toward all the time, and when you think you have it, you usually have to always be evolving. So, we've got some things that we believe in that we feel our guys do really well that we want to continue to enhance, but like we tell the guys, there's always more than one way to win the game, whether you run it five times and throw it 50 times or flip it the other way, or you give up yards on defense, but you keep them out of the red zone."

"So, we've just got to keep preaching winning the game. It's not about how you do it, but it's about getting a win."

Rick Dennison to the Rescue

The Raiders struck gold when they hired the best offensive line coach in the NFL. With so many Super Bowl rings, the legend would look like Mr. T if he wore them all at once. Add some new weapons, plus old ones back from injury, and the sky is very blue and optimistic for the Silver and Black to have a respected OL once again. Kubiak made it clear about expectations.

"I like where they're at, and we've got to keep developing them like everybody else. It's a position group on our team that we're confident in, and that we expect a lot out of."

Speaking of the OL, Kubiak added about the battle between Jackson Powers-Johnson and Caleb Rogers, "I still see two starters. I see two guys that are going to play for us this year."

Development vs. Winning

Fans misconstrue the narrative of development on a young team as a sign of forfeiting a winning mentality, a concept foreign to the Raiders' terrific first-year coach.

"I think it'd be the same answer if we had the oldest team in the NFL. That's our job as coaches to improve our roster, to improve our players, and we obviously realize that when young guys are playing, you got to be cognizant of how much you can load up on them. But we've learned a lot about our guys from April until now, and excited for them to go play."

Pulling Back the Veil

There are numerous reasons to like and respect Kubiak. One of which is that he won’t lie to you. If he chooses to answer a question (he won’t lie; he’ll tell you if he doesn’t want to answer), he will tell you the truth. His praise for Spytek and his team throughout the process of assembling the 53-man roster showed how closely the entire organization is working together.

John Spytek, Mark Davis | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

"Well, John [Spytek] and [Brian] Stark, the communication was excellent working together. Since the moment I got here, it's been a very collaborative effort with the scouting department. We're all working together to get the team better."

Tom Brady’s Input

When Tom Brady became a dominant voice in the organization, some Raiders fans bristled. But the tuck rule doesn’t keep the greatest QB in NFL history from leading your team back to glory.

Las Vegas Raiders GM John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

The criticism of him because of his Patriots background is absurd and foolish. Fortunately, the current leadership values his input, and the rookie head coach isn’t afraid to give him the credit he believes he is due.

"We lean on him for a lot of things. Talk to him multiple times a week, and he's been extremely helpful for roster building, for schematics, for team building. You name it, he's been helpful with it. More than helpful and an extremely impressive resource."

It’s All About Competition

Kubiak has seen rookie QBs start and sit as they work their way to greatness. The Raiders were not going to sit Mendoza for just any veteran QB. But behind Cousins, there are the right things to learn from the right guy. But for Kubiak, it isn’t about being sold on one concept; it is about doing it the right way for this circumstance. He explained in excellent detail.

“I think there's so many examples both ways. I think the most important thing with the quarterback room or any other position is to build competition within the room, and that makes players so much better, faster than coaching. When they have a guy in front of them that they can look up to and they can see how something's done, that's going to accelerate their growth."

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