Ranking the Raiders' Best 2026 Players: No. 27

The Las Vegas Raiders' offseason has been marked by a long list of quality moves across the board. The Raiders' front office addressed the team's most significant issues from the past three seasons, which have largely centered on a lack of competent coaching and talent.

Following the moves Las Vegas has made this offseason, neither of those things should be as much of an issue as they once were. The hiring of Klint Kubiak and his coaching staff, as well as the wholesale roster changes the Raiders made, have already proven to be quality moves.

There is plenty of work to be done for the Raiders to become a consistently competitive team. Yet, based on what they showed during Organized Team Activities and mandatory minicamp, the Raiders are, at the very least, exactly where they should be at this point in the offseason.

They look like a team that has improved in one area or another after each practice. It is evident that Las Vegas' offseason efforts were legitimate. It will be up to Kubiak and his staff to put the Raiders' multiple moving parts together ahead of the 2026 regular season opener against the Miami Dolphins.

Raiders' New Look

As the Raiders take the next few weeks off in preparation for training camp, they do so knowing they have made progress, but also that they must carry those offseason moves and the work they have done so far into training camp, or the progress they have made will be for naught.

Las Vegas aims to produce a much better football team in 2026 and beyond than it has in recent years. The Raiders finally have the talent to compete with essentially every team on their schedule this upcoming season. This is key, as they have one of the most challenging schedules in the league.

The Raiders will have an uphill battle in 2026 and beyond. Still, for the first time in a long time, it is fair to believe Las Vegas will produce a team that will remain competitive through most games this season.

Over the next few weeks, we will rank the top 30 players on the Raiders' roster. Please note that there will be no rookies on this list, as it is impossible to make the list with zero regular-season snaps.

Ranking the Raiders: No. 27, FB Connor Heyward

The Raiders' roster moves have quickly turned the roster upside down, which was sorely needed after Las Vegas routinely produced one of the worst rosters in the league over the past few seasons. Years of failed coaching staff and roster-related additions finally caught up to the Raiders.

However, this offseason, Raiders general manager John Sptek went to work addressing the team's roster issues, nearly all of which he inherited from Las Vegas' prior regimes. The Raiders' roster additions seemingly left no stone unturned, as they added to nearly every position on the roster.

Yet there is adding talent to a new roster, and adding a whole new position altogether. Along with all the more notable roster moves the Raiders made this offseason, they also added a fullback, as the position is a critical part of Kubiak's offensive scheme.

This was a quiet move that will prove vital. Las Vegas' decision a few seasons ago to move on from fullback Jakob Johnson and eliminate the position altogether was a bad move that ultimately cost the team. Doing so, both directly and indirectly, led to the end of several tenures in Las Vegas.

Like every offense, Kubiak's offense needs certain things to thrive. A versatile fullback like Connor Heyward is one. He appears to be just who Kubiak needs at the fullback position heading into the 2026 season. The veteran has already shown his potential.

Now, he must continue doing so with his new team. Heyward gives the Raiders a solid fullback who can block and catch passes out of the backfield. Las Vegas hopes they will never need him to, but theoretically, Heyward can play tight end as well. Regardless of his position, he is a threat.

Heyward gives Las Vegas a fullback who adds extra blocking for Ashton Jeanty, who broke the Raiders' rookie record from scrimmage yards last season. Considering how many of those yards came after contact at or behind the line, Jeanty should be especially happy for Heyward's arrival.

The addition of the fullback position and Heyward to fill the position was yet more proof of how detailed the Raiders' front office approached the offseason. The Raiders' coaching staff now looks to begin putting all of their new pieces together as training camp approaches.

“I think that's something that we talk about every day, about looking at a guy's profile, what does he do well, what is he maybe not doing so well, and is that something that we want to change through a technique or something like that, or are we shifting him into a place where he can thrive better or be in a better place to succeed,” Raiders offensive coordinator Janocko said following OTAs.

“So, it's all a growth process, each individual person is different, but it's something we're constantly evaluating. Our position coaches do a great job of planning out their individual meetings and their individual periods on the field to maximize those opportunities. Each guy grows his specific skill set, so then once he gets into the offense, he can help us succeed."

As the Raiders' coaching staff takes the next few weeks and months to get to know their new roster better, finding ways to get Heyward involved in the offense should only benefit them moving forward. Las Vegas undoubtedly made more noteworthy moves earlier this offseason.

However, the addition of Heyward will help them in both big and small ways. Las Vegas may not receive much of a bump stat-wise from Heyward himself, but fullbacks are not on the field for stats. They are on the field looking to pave the way. If Heyward can do that, it will unlock many possibilities.

Add us as a preferred source on Google