Raiders 53-Man Roster Projection Heading into OTAs

The Las Vegas Raiders spent the offseason revamping their coaching staff and retooling their roster. Las Vegas will enter the 2026 season as a much different team than the one that last took the field at Allegiant Stadium in January. Come Week 1 of the regular season, the Raiders' roster will be solidified.

Las Vegas' front office made so many quality changes that they will undoubtedly have several tough conversations with players who may have made the roster if not for the Raiders' solid moves this offseason. The Raiders will have multiple challenging cuts when cutdown day arrives.

Raiders' Current Reality

Still, there is plenty of time between now and when the Raiders must decide on their 53-man roster. Las Vegas will use Organized Team Activities and training camp to get a better look at players who have a shot of making the roster. A new coaching staff will bring a new set of eyes and expectations.

It seems inevitable that Las Vegas will produce an improved team in 2026. Below is a projection of how the Raiders' 53-man roster will look after they decide whom to keep and whom to let go. It was tougher to trim the roster than one may think. Raiders general manager John Spytek explained.

"Well ultimately this is a meritocracy, and the best guy will play. It's just really hard to play really well at a young age, but we've seen plenty of quarterbacks do it recently, and how that goes going forward here, obviously we added Kirk [Cousins], we have Aidan [O'Connell], and we'll see how it goes, but the best man will play,” Spytek said.

“It'll be who the best players are. And if we're doing the math right now, we've got 66 players on the roster and 10 picks, so we'll have 15 undrafted free agents right now, and our scouting department is going to do a great job of finding the right guys at the right positions, and guys that will compete and are about the right things and have a chance to make the roster and contribute."

An offseason that has already been exciting and eventful is bound to become more of both as the season continues to draw closer.

Raiders' 53-Man Roster Projection

Quarterbacks (3): Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza, Aidan O'Connell.

Running Backs (2): Ashton Jeanty, Mike Washington.

Fullback (1): Connor Heyward.

Wide Receiver (6): Jalen Nailor, Tre Tucker, Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton, Dareke Young, Shedrick Jackson.

Tight End (4): Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas, Carter Runyon.

Offensive Tackle (4): Kolton Miller, DJ Glaze, Dalton Wagner, Charles Grant.

Offensive Guard (5): Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers, Spencer Burford, Trey Zuhn, Jordan Meredith.

Center (2): Tyler Linderbaum, Will Putnam.

Linebackers (5): Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Segun Olubi, Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg.

Dec 21, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) during a television timeout against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Interior Defensive Line (6): Adam Butler, Thomas Booker, Tonka Hemingway, JJ Pegues, Jonah Laulu, Laki Tasi.

Defensive End (4): Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Keyron Crawford.

Cornerbacks (5): Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson, Decamerion Richardson.

Safety (3): Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Treydan Stukes.

Kicker (1): Matt Gay

Punter (1): AJ Cole.

Long Snapper (1): Alex Ward.

The 2026 Raiders should be much better than the 2025 Raiders. However, this is not to say they will not have their growing pains under first-time head coach Klint Kubiak. Las Vegas has one of the most challenging schedules of any team in the National Football League.

The Raiders did all they could to help improve the roster this offseason, making several quality additions. Yet, they still have a long way to go this season, and beyond, as many roster-related questions remain.

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