The Most Vital Part of Raiders' 2026 Rebuild

The rebuild the Las Vegas Raiders seek to complete will take years, and will be multifaceted.

Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

The Las Vegas Raiders' front office is determined to turn things around on and off the field. It will take time and the right moves to make that happen. It will also require the Raiders' front office to continue thoroughly vetting each player they add to the roster.

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Raiders' Turnaround

Las Vegas has been one of the worst teams in the National Football League recently. The Raiders have struggled at every level of the organization, resulting in a subpar product on the field over the past few seasons. However, this offseason, the Raiders' front office aims to change that.

The Raiders have begun making the necessary changes to their coaching staff and roster to reasonably believe they will become a competitive team sooner rather than later. After a disappointing 2025 season, Las Vegas' front office has moved this offseason efficiently.

Feb 10, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek at press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Fixing the laundry list of problems the Raiders have had will take a quality coaching staff and a quality roster. The Raiders have begun fixing those things, but they must fix something else as well.

More Than Just on the Field

Apr 24, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza at the Festival of Football at the Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Raiders are trying to turn their franchise around. The losses that have piled up on the field over the past few seasons are directly attributable to a bad roster and, arguably, even worse coaching. Las Vegas' front office believes it has addressed both as much as possible in one offseason.

By hiring Klint Kubiak, the Raiders secured one of the best coaches available during this offseason's coaching cycle. They then used the open cap space they had to add multiple proven veterans in some of the most critical positions. Then, Las Vegas followed all of that with a solid draft haul.

Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats defensive back Treydan Stukes (2) celebrates after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Las Vegas has the first two critical parts of its rebuild down. They have finalized their coaching staff and begun a thorough roster overhaul. The roster revamp actually started before Spytek's arrival, but he has taken it to the next level by adding two solid draft classes and a strong free-agent class.

The coaching staff is fixed, and the roster revamp is well underway. The Raiders must also change their locker room culture. That, of course, comes with time and adding the right players to the roster, both talent-wise and in terms of personality fits.

Sep 14, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers nose tackle Keyron Crawford (24) against the New Mexico Lobos at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

“That was our theme this whole entire process through the draft, it's been our theme in free agency. It's been our theme the whole time. We had a shield system where we were looking, and we wanted to put a shield on some players," Vice President of Player Personnel Brandon Hunt said after the final day of the draft.

"We have different tiers, and we wanted to make sure that we not only get the best players that are going to come in here and be awesome contributors on the team, but they're going to be great people. Like I said when we started, we talking about the culture. The culture is driven by these people that we bring in, and it was awesome to get a person like this to add to the group." 

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III (60) blocks the rush during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

By adding the necessary talent and providing them with the proper coaching staff, which has not been the case in most of the past few seasons, the Raiders have taken the first few steps toward turning things around on the field. However, they must still continue to bring in the necessary talent.

This will, of course, also lead to players moving on to different teams, which is a natural part of every roster and every offseason. That is another part of the Raiders' overall goal of turning things around, not only on the field but also in the locker room.