Ranking the Raiders' Top 30 2026 Players: No. 9

The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping their wholesale changes will lead to significant improvement on the field this upcoming season. The Raiders have failed to field a competitive team since relocating to Las Vegas, and for many years beforehand.

The Raiders are only weeks away from training camp, the final and most critical set of practices ahead of the preseason and regular season. Las Vegas is implementing coaching staff, roster, and schematic changes that will require an efficient and productive training camp.

Raiders' Bounce-Back

Las Vegas has a long road ahead of it, as they look to bounce back from a forgettable past few seasons. The Raiders entered the offseason aiming to eliminate as many needs as possible. It appears, as of now, that they have done precisely that.

Soon, Las Vegas will take the field and finally turn the page from a lackluster past couple of seasons. The Raiders' 2026 training camp is one of the most important in recent franchise history, as it will quickly determine if, and how well, their offseason moves will work out on the field.

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

Ranking the Raiders' Top 30 2026 Players: No. 9 LT Kolton Miller

One of the most significant commonalities between the Raiders' past two seasons has been the rash of injuries they have suffered. This only made Las Vegas' lack of depth across the board even more noticeable, as those injuries forced several incompetent players into action.

This was especially the case last season along the Raiders' offensive line. Las Vegas had no shortage of issues during the 2025 season, but the lack of talent and depth was near the top of the list. Last offseason, the Raiders made moves that showed confidence in their offensive line.

At the very least, the additions of Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty were made under the assumption that their best offensive lineman would play more than a handful of games. Las Vegas had rarely been in the situation they were put in last season, and failed to recover from it.

Few things foreshadowed the Raiders' 2025 season as much as the injury to left tackle Kolton Miller early last season. Las Vegas did not have the roster or coaching staff that could sustain losing Miller early in the season, or at all. Miller's absence confirmed what was already known.

Miller has been a critical part of the Raiders' offense since he was drafted nearly a decade ago. Las Vegas has continued to add offensive linemen, mainly via the NFL Draft. However, Miller is a player Las Vegas desperately needs on the field for as many games as possible this season.

Las Vegas' many changes have been the talk of the offseason, but Miller's return is just as vital to their chances of success this season. The veteran offensive lineman knows how critical training camp will be after a season in which the Raiders added talent on both sides of the ball.

“I have high expectations for everyone. The standard is higher. Guys are learning, guys are coming in, but the competition right now is first getting in the playbook and mastering that and getting to work. And then next is training camp. It's great that we're back together and take another step. So, I'm looking forward to the process,” Miller said.

Miller is one of the few remaining players from the many head coaches and offensive coordinators the Raiders have had in recent seasons. As Las Vegas prepares to move forward under the new offensive coordinator, Andrew Janocko is getting to know his new players, such as Miller.

“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? So, it's all a growth process; each individual person is different,” Janocko said.

“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."

Last season, the Raiders fielded arguably the worst offensive line in the National Football League. This was largely due to injuries to Miller and Jackson Powers-Johnson, respectively. Still, the unit struggled even before losing both players to season-ending injuries.

Yet, after the additions of Tyler Linderbaum and a brand new offensive coaching staff, Las Vegas is hopeful its offensive line can turn things around in 2026. However, even after those additions, the only way they will turn things around is if Miller returns to form.

The Raiders have added the necessary talent to win more games this upcoming season. However, as last season proved, the success of most of those additions will come down to the ability of Las Vegas' offensive line. Miller's importance cannot be overstated, especially this season.

The Raiders have added multiple developmental pieces along their offensive line, but the drop-off in talent between Miller and Las Vegas' next-best left tackle is massive. So massive that the drop-off is technically unknown, confirming their need for a productive season from Miller.

As the Raiders move forward under a new coaching staff and with a roster that has seen its fair share of changes, they will still lean on multiple players who remain from previous seasons. Few of those players are more critical than Miller.

Of all the things Las Vegas needs to go their way this season, at the very least, they need Miller to be available for more than a quarter of the campaign.

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