One Player Will Be the Heartbeat of the Raiders' Entire Offense

The Las Vegas Raiders are building up their offensive identity, piece by piece. They were at a crossroads in 2025, but this offseason has given them a clear direction. 2026 won't be about wins or losses, but it will be about progress and setting that culture in Las Vegas.

Klint Kubiak projects to do everything Pete Carroll couldn't as their head coach, and with the first overall pick, their offense will be completely revamped. Fernando Mendoza is stepping into a situation much friendlier than the one Geno Smith walked into. Who will be one of the most impactful weapons in his rookie season?

Offensive Identity

Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (QB11) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

An important part of the Raiders' offense in 2026 will be their run game. An organization doesn't make Tyler Linderbaum the highest-paid interior lineman in NFL history if they aren't planning on pounding the rock. However, it wouldn't be a Kubiak-style offense if it didn't have a blazing pass game to accompany the run game.

Their best pass-catcher is Brock Bowers, and I think he's set for a career resurgence after his production dipped last season. He was dealing with injuries, which ultimately led to him being shut down for the latter half of the season. Even when he was on the field, he had some uncharacteristic performances where he didn't have much of an impact.

Brock Bowers rumbles into the end zone to give the @Raiders the lead!

JAXvsLV on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/GwxzGpW6Qp
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025

2025 was undoubtedly a far cry from his rookie season, but he was still able to pull off plays like those in the clip above in the midst of a sophomore slump. The key to unlocking Bowers and getting him back into his rookie form is volume.

In 2025, there were only two games in which Bowers had double-digit targets, and one of them was a three-touchdown performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2024, he had seven games with ten or more targets, and those are the type of numbers he needs to be seeing moving forward.

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) looks on before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

He can turn any play into a monster gain, and the Raiders need to give him as many chances to do that. The chemistry between Mendoza and Bowers needs to be on point because if it is, they'll be a scary duo for years to come.

His impressive hands bailed out some bad throws by Smith in the red zone. Imagine what he could do when a quarterback knows his timing and can place the ball where only he could get it?