True Significance of Raiders' Organized Team Activities

The Las Vegas Raiders' past few seasons have been a soap opera of sorts, filled with some of the league's most notable occurrences on and off the field. The Raiders have endured nearly as many unique happenings off the field as losses on it.

How It All Connects

Las Vegas is set up for a solid 2026 regular season, after an offseason in which they improved in nearly every aspect. The Raiders added some of the league's best available veteran talent in free agency and quality draft picks that should last them for many years.

The Raiders' bright future was set in motion by a terrible three-year stretch that was actually the culmination of years' worth of bad moves and signings that preceded it. Las Vegas' repeated failure to rebuild its roster eventually caught up with it, resulting in nearly 40 losses over three seasons.

Turning the Page to 2026

Las Vegas' front office made enough moves this offseason to warrant the cautious optimism that surrounds the team. The Raiders still have work to do on the roster, but it has improved significantly since it was one of the worst in the league. Las Vegas also upgraded its coaching staff.

Free agency, the NFL Draft, and now, Organized Team Activities allow the Raiders to comfortably begin moving on from last season and the several disappointing seasons before that. Few things have gone right for the Raiders lately, but this offseason feels different.

With Klint Kubiak and the Raiders' new coaching staff leading the way, along with the roster moves, Las Vegas is on to 2026. The Raiders are more than ready to enter a new era, and they hope to field a more consistently competitive team.

However, as Kubiak knows, that begins in the offseason during the dog days of summer, long before Week 1 rolls around. That is precisely where the Raiders find themselves. As eager as they are to take the field and erase last season's memories, they must take care of business during the offseason.

"To get these guys in position for training camp. Get them in football shape for training camp. Obviously, we're going to evaluate them, but OTAs put you in position for training camp, and then training camp puts them in position for the season," Kubiak said when asked what his goals were for the team's OTAs.

The Raiders are taking things one step at a time, and rightfully so. Las Vegas is in the beginning stages of a much-needed rebuild. They are not in a position to get ahead of themselves. Like Kubiak, Raiders' offensive tackle Kolton Miller aims to keep everything in perspective.

“Training camp is ideal for hitting, and that's where the real competition starts. But OTAs, you got to walk before you can run, you got to be in the right spots, all that. So, again, it's just mastering this process, and just trying to get as much as we can out of the day,” Miller said.

OTAs are yet another part of the process that Raiders General Manager John Spytek was tasked with accomplishing. He has done all that any General Manager could legitimately have done in one offseason to spark change. The Raiders have made quality, measured moves this offseason.

As the Raiders progress through OTAs and then training camp, all eyes will be on how the long list of changes they made this offseason will mesh in Kubiak's first season. The regular season will soon be here, giving no shortage of pros and cons to assess about this year's Raiders.

Yet, OTAs are just as critical as each team's 17 regular-season games.

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