1 Thing Raiders Aim To Establish Against Dolphins

After years of ill-advised roster and coaching moves, as well as years of painfully predictable football on the field, the Raiders look like a team ready to work its way back to relevancy. Yet the process will take time, since the Raiders did not get to where they are overnight.

Luckily for the Raiders, their matchup against the Miami Dolphins allows them the chance to take a tangible step forward. Few things will help a developing team more than facing another team trying their hardest to win. Still, Week 1 will be about much more than which team wins and which one loses.

Las Vegas is looking to create a completely new way of doing things under Kubiak. After only winning seven total games in the past two seasons, no one can fault them for doing so. It is a long season, and regardless of what happens Sunday, this season is one of opportunity for the Raiders.

Sunday will be a significant step toward the Raiders accomplishing something they have not in years. Las Vegas has had arguably the most significant stability issues at some of the most critical positions on the field. They hope Sunday helps solidify that some of those issues no longer remain.

Week 1 Is Here

In 2026, Kubiak's first as a head coach in the league, the Raiders are looking to establish a new way of doing things across the board. Specifically, Las Vegas has begun building stability at the quarterback position under Kubiak's coaching staff.

"He's always been urgent. I think he's a better leader and he's more urgent than ever. When you play a lot of football, you realize that sometimes what's said in the meeting on Wednesday, 'Hey, this is what we think we're going to do on third and 10,' they don't do that," Kubiak said before practice on Wednesday.

"You have to adjust. So, he's very confident in what he wants, what he wants it to look like, where he wants the receivers to be at, where the hots are, how we want to address protection. He's just extremely, extremely confident right now and just overcommunicating how it's got to be on Sunday. And that helps the whole team."

Raiders' 1 Thing

Las Vegas has had no shortage of issues in recent seasons. The lack of competent quarterback play is at the top of that list. Cousins' future in Las Vegas is up in the air, but it is also far from the minds of Cousins or the coaching staff. Cousins helps begin a specific process.

The Raiders already have their quarterback of the future in rookie Fernando Mendoza. That eliminates any questions about how Las Vegas will address the position moving forward. They also have Aidan O'Connell, who has proven to be serviceable, at the very least.

They have already begun their on-field portion of work, laying the foundation for Kubiak's coaching staff. The Raiders' offseason workout programs and three preseason games have confirmed progress in those areas, and they hope to continue showing that growth throughout the season.

“I think you just never know what the next snap is going to bring, what the next week is going to bring, what the next year is going to bring, and I have learned in this league that anything can happen,” Cousins said. 

“So, you keep an open mind in both ways. You don't assume anything, and you just try to have great habits and trust that if you do that, good things will happen. It may not happen as fast as you want but just try to have good habits and let the process go where it goes.”