Ranking the Raiders' Best 2026 Players: No. 1

The Las Vegas Raiders have had an eventful offseason. It began with the firing of Pete Carroll, which led to the hire of new head coach Klint Kubiak. The Raiders then went to work fixing a bottom-tier roster that finally bottomed out during the 2025 season after years of bad coaching and roster moves.

The Raiders have sustained 10-game losing streaks in each of the past two seasons. Accomplishing this feat in consecutive seasons is something that has rarely, if ever, been done in National Football League history. They expect this offseason to be the one to begin their turnaround.

Raiders Rise

As training camp arises, Las Vegas appears to be headed in the right direction. They will take the next few weeks to continue putting all their new pieces together with those already on the roster. The Raiders have many moving pieces that were assembled this offseason.

Now, they must maximize their time in training camp, as the 2026 season will be here soon enough.

Leading up to training camp, we have ranked the top 30 players on the Raiders' roster. There were no rookies on this list, as it is impossible to make the list with zero regular-season snaps.

Ranking the 2026 Raiders: No. 1, DE Maxx Crosby

Along with all of the other things that have happened this offseason, Las Vegas' failed trade of Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens following weeks of speculation about his unhappiness in Las Vegas was one of the biggest stories in the league earlier this offseason.

Both ordeals are behind the Raiders and Crosby as training camp nears. Crosby has been the face of the Raiders' organization for much of recent memory. The failed trade was a reminder of how quickly things can change in the NFL. Recently, Crosby shared his feelings on the organization.

“I'm fired up. Everyone knows my love and appreciation for this organization, that never changed from day one. It's part of the business, there's a lot of other things that don't need to be discussed, but ultimately, I'm exactly where I want to be. I'm excited,” Crosby said.

“Just being here with this group, we have an extremely smart and great leader of men in Klint Kubiak, a coaching staff that is very detailed and very, I would say, attentive with everything they do. They're very intentional with everything that we're trying to accomplish."

The Raiders promoted Rob Leonard to their defensive coordinator position. Leonard, who was Las Vegas' defensive line coach for the past three seasons, has gotten to know Crosby well. Leonard recently shared his thoughts on the Raiders' star defensive end.

“I mean, probably the biggest reason I came here was an opportunity to coach him. It's awesome to help him towards some of his goals as well as the defense in this organization. I just think of how much he's given and sacrificed to this place to help make something that we're all proud of. Would be really cool,” Leonard said earlier this offseason.

Las Vegas has assembled the best overall team they have had in many years. On defense, Crosby arguably has the best supporting cast he has had in his career. If it is not the best, it is one of the best, and a motivated Crosby should only help the unit excel in 2026.

No defensive coordinator the Raiders could have hired knows Crosby better than Leonard. The two are sure to work well together after years of already doing so. Both Leonard and Crosby have expressed their appreciation for the other.

“He's been with a lot of different people and has a lot of different influences. So, I think just him in general, just being able to be a sponge, he's not a robot in anything he does, he's not trying to just do what everybody else wants him to do. He's going to do it his way. And guys respect that because they know how hard he works and how much he loves and cares about this team and the players, and you can really feel that,” Crosby said.

“You can't fake that energy, and I think that's a big reason why he got the job is because not only is he extremely smart when it comes to football, he just has a really unique and special way of being able to relate to the players, and guys feed off that energy. So, yeah, he's done a hell of a job. Every single day, it's not going to be perfect, and he knows that he's learning."

When ranking the Raiders' top 30 players entering training camp, Crosby is undoubtedly the best and single-most important player on the roster. His value extends well beyond his impact on the field, as he is also a potentially valuable trade piece should the Raiders decide to pursue a deal in the future.

Las Vegas' decision to sit Crosby for the final two games of the 2025 regular season was a testament to Crosby's value on the field and on the trade block. The Raiders' front office knew Crosby needed surgery and all the time he could possibly get to fully recover from a nagging injury.

They also knew that if Crosby had gotten seriously injured in the meaningless final two games of a lost season, it would have negatively affected what they could get in return for him in a trade. No matter how it is sliced, Crosby is the best player on the Raiders' roster.

After an offseason that nearly witnessed Crosby being shipped across the country in return for two first-round picks, the veteran defensive end is back in Las Vegas with the only professional organization he has ever played for.

Although the future remains unclear, for now, Crosby is back and is undoubtedly the team's best player. Time will tell what will happen after this season between Crosby and the Raiders, but for now, both sides are ready for another campaign together. They hope it is much better than the past few have been.

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