Las Vegas Raiders 2026 NFL Season Preview

Everything they did was geared to supporting Mendoza, the organization’s most valuable asset in decades. It doesn’t mean the three-win Raiders will turn things around instantaneously. They fully expect 2026 to be a transitional season. The goal is to be in a position to turn the corner in 2027. If that happens sooner, great. But they are being realistic in their expectations, so don’t expect them to pull the plug on Kubiak if this is a multi-year proposition. They envision Kubiak and Mendoza being a decades-long partnership. At least they hope so, anyway.

Offense

The Raiders are determined not to rush Mendoza, so don’t be surprised if Cousins gets the starting nod out of the gate. However, they won’t sit Mendoza due to any organizational philosophy, either. If he shows he is ready to be the starter, they won’t hesitate to put him on the field.

Part of that will be the supporting cast’s ability to support Mendoza, too. Linderbaum is the linchpin of the offensive line, which welcomes back left tackle Kolton Miller, who played in only four games last year before going down with a season-ending ankle injury. Everything else is up for grabs, with Jackson Powers-Johnson, Caleb Rogers, DJ Glaze, Charles Grant, Spencer Burford and rookie Trey Zuhn III battling for the two guard spots and right tackle job.

The Raiders must get their offensive line squared away after it misfired so badly last year. The dysfunction affected everything from how Geno Smith performed at quarterback, to Ashton Jeanty’s struggles to run the ball consistently, to the inability to get dynamic tight end Brock Bowers or wide receivers Tre Tucker and others untracked.

Kubiak’s scheme is expected to help, as will Cousins’ leadership, either as the starter or Mendoza’s sounding board. He is well-versed in the offense, so his experience will be critical. It can’t get much worse than the 14.2 points per game the Raiders averaged last year. But it remains to be seen just how much better the offense can be. If the offensive line improves, that will help everyone from Bowers to Jeanty to the rest of the passing attack. Bowers and Jeanty, in particular, could be in for big seasons. Both are dynamic players with Pro Bowl-level talent. But they obviously need help.

Defense

For a couple of days during the offseason, the Raiders and star defensive end Maxx Crosby were headed for a divorce. Crosby was not feeling yet another rebuild after so many others had failed, and he asked for a trade. The club obliged by sending him to the Ravens for two first-round picks.

Or so they thought. Upon further review, the Ravens had misgivings about the state of Crosby’s injured knee, so they nixed the trade and sent him back to Las Vegas. Interestingly, in the four days he was away, the Raiders added a plethora of defensive help, meaning the team he returned to looked far different from the one he wanted to leave.

With Crosby now back in the fold and surrounded by established veterans like Paye, Walker, Dean and Johnson, the whole picture looks different.

The Raiders also promoted their long-time defensive line coach, Rob Leonard, to the defensive coordinator position, which also helps. The Leonard promotion is of particular interest, especially in light of Kubiak taking over as the head coach and focusing primarily on the offense. This will be Leonard’s defense, as opposed to last year, when defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Carroll, a defensive-minded head coach, tried to mesh their defensive philosophies, only for the contrast in styles to create dysfunction on the field.

The singular voice of Leonard could go a long way in helping improve the defense, especially now that Walker and Dean are on hand, and draft picks like safety Treydan Stukes and defensive end Keyron Crawford arrive to lend playmaking and pass-rush help.

The Raiders might also have the steal of the draft in Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, who was considered a top-15 draft prospect but fell to the fourth round because of concerns about his surgically repaired right knee. If McCoy can stay healthy, the Raiders have added a dynamic player to their secondary. He joins veteran Eric Stokes and second-year prospect Darien Porter in a big, fast, physical cornerback rotation.

On the defensive line, Crosby, Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Charles Snowden and Crawford will get the bulk of the edge snaps, with Adam Butler, JJ Pegues, Thomas Booker IV, Jonah Laulu, Tonka Hemingway and seventh-round draft pick Brandon Cleveland the primary interior players.

With the Raiders moving to a base 3-4 defense, managing that transition is the biggest challenge facing Leonard. The Raiders’ interior line was drafted with the 4-3 in mind, so someone is going to have to step up and show they can anchor the middle at nose tackle. Nevertheless, it all looks much better on paper. Now it has to translate onto the field.

Specialists

The Raiders moved on from veteran placekicker Daniel Carlson, setting up a training camp battle between veteran Matt Gay and undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa for the kicking duties. Gay’s inconsistency gives Matsuzawa a real opportunity to win the job. He was a consensus All-American and a Lou Groza Award finalist in 2025 at Hawai’i.

AJ Cole is one of the best in the business at punter, hence the contract extension the Raiders gave him. Alex Ward and Tyler Duzansky will compete for the long-snapper role.

Final Analysis

The Raiders insist that they began this latest rebuild without the finish line in mind. They are determined not to skip any steps along the way. That was a big problem for them over the years and cost them valuable time and resources once they figured out they made rash, rushed moves, wrongly believing they were close to contention.

They will not determine success this year solely on wins or losses. This year will be about getting Mendoza ready to be their franchise-altering quarterback, including building a sufficient supporting cast.