The Player Impacted Most by Raiders' Latest Moves

The Las Vegas Raiders' offseason has been action-packed, with the front office hard at work making strong moves to improve their roster. Las Vegas' front office has manufactured one of the best offseasons the franchise has had in terms of roster additions in many years.

Notable Moves

The Raiders made multiple additions this offseason, most notably center Tyler Linderbaum, as well as linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean. Each of those moves was solid individually; collectively, they help the Raiders move past the 3-14 team that last took the field in January.

Las Vegas' additions were noteworthy, especially after how bad they have been in recent years. Conversely, watching the Raiders build their roster, essentially from the ground up, has many interesting layers. More layers seem to get added with each passing day.

After the additions of Klint Kubiak and his staff, and a handful of veterans in free agency, the latest layer in the Raiders' rebuilding process was the selection of 10 draft picks in this year's NFL Draft. Those additions added layers, which will continue to be a theme over the next few years.

Las Vegas' front office made additions to every position group on its roster this offseason. However, the addition of rookie defensive end Keyron Crawford stood above the rest. The Raiders then made moves that confirm their confidence in the job they have done, adding new talent to their roster.

Raiders' Confidence

Crawford is the biggest beneficiary of the Raiders' decision to move on from both Tyree Wilson and Charles Snowden. Las Vegas' defensive line is by far its deepest group. The additions of Crawford and Kwity Paye made the Raiders comfortable moving on from Snowden and Wilson.

Paye will start opposite Maxx Crosby. With Snowden and Wilson gone, Crawford now has a better chance of playing during the 2026 regular season. Still, it must be noted that Crawford's addition was more tied to the Raiders moving on from Snowden and Wilson than Paye.

Snowden and Wilson were unlikely to take snaps away from Paye, which makes their departures after Crawford's addition all the more notable. Of course, some of it was just the natural timing of the draft and the common ripple effects of a productive draft, but there was more to it than that.

Crawford is a player the Raiders' front office seems high on, and is a better fit for the 3-4 defense than Snowden and Wilson. Still, like those two, Crawford was unlikely to take snaps away from Paye. He would have fought for snaps with Snowden, Malcolm Koonce, and likely Wilson.

May 2, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) speaks during a news conference at the team’s Rookie Minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

When he was drafted, it appeared that Crawford would have much more resistance up the depth chart. Now it is evident that the Raiders are high on him and his upside, moving on from a former first-round pick who was not working out and another player who simply was not a fit.

There are a few players on the Raiders' roster who have been as directly impacted by their offseason moves as a player who just joined the team. Still, as much as the Raiders' front office likes him, Crawford knows he still has many things to work on to develop into a contributor in the league.

"It's really more so just being able to be consistent with my hands as well, just playing the run, and being violent through the run. So, it's just being able to correct those corners. But also, understand the game 10 times more, because everything is still new to me,” Crawford said.

“Also understand the formations, understanding what you can get in different formations. And knowing what’s to come just to be able to have a heads-up over. It's really just like football intelligence. So, just being able to increase that, it allows me to play 10 times faster."

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