Raiders' Joint Practice vs. Texans Confirmed Areas of Need

Compared to the 2025 Raiders, Las Vegas has already significantly improved. Although it would be wise to compare this year's Raiders to last year's, the 2026 Raiders must prove that the coaching staff and roster moves were worth it by playing well against other teams.

After facing the Arizona Cardinals last week in the preseason, Las Vegas traveled to Texas to practice against the Houston Texans on Tuesday. The two teams will face each other in an exhibition game on Thursday, giving each team another practice against each other.

The Raiders are rebuilding. The Texans are coming off a season in which they made it to the playoffs. Houston was just the kind of team the Raiders needed. Not only were the Texans a playoff team, but many of the things they do well are things Las Vegas needs additional practice against.

Houston's defensive line gave Las Vegas' offensive line trouble, especially as the unit was without starting offensive guard Jackson Powers-Johnson. More notably, rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza played with the Raiders' starters against the Texans' starting defense.

"I wanted to see him going against the Texans' ones. That was our plan all along. I thought he did some good things. I look forward to watching the tape. He and his teammates, all these young guys that were playing, we got to get them up to speed real quick,” Kubiak said following Las Vegas' joint practice against the Texans.

The Raiders had their moments against the Texans, with Mendoza completing several solid passes and Las Vegas' defense holding up decently. Overall, Las Vegas looked like a team still in need of additional work, while the Texans looked like a team that has been together longer.

“I think our guys have a high standard, and you expect to win every rep. You expect to be a great team. You expect to compete. That's the kind of guys that we have in our locker room. I think we could have even competed better. So, we got lots to improve on,” Kubiak said.

The Raiders will take Wednesday off ahead of Thursday night's matchup against the Texans. Kubiak and his staff will spend the day reviewing the film from Tuesday's practice and addressing areas needing further improvement.

“I only got to see one side of it, so I look forward to going and watching the defensive side. But overall, with joint practices, the main thing is you're just trying to get working and get each other better without turning into a fight and a melee,” Kubiak said. 

“So, I thought our guys were very mature. I think there maybe was a dust-up one time on the other side, but it's a practice. It's week four of training camp. It's about getting the team better, and so I'd say overall I was pleased with that."

The Raiders have made the most of each practice, whether against each other or another team. Las Vegas' coaching staff has shown self-awareness of where they truly stand as a team with Week 1 quickly approaching. Practices and preseason games help with that.

Tuesday was further confirmation that, while the Raiders are better than they were last season, they will inevitably have their fair share of growing pains. Those pains will likely include challenging losses at times. Still, all the Raiders can do is prepare as much as possible.

By all accounts, they are doing just that. Tuesday's practice against the Texans had its highs and lows, but even that is progress for a team that has sustained many more lows than highs in recent seasons.