This Raiders Coaching Hire Has Already Begun Paying Dividends

As the Raiders prepare for training camp, they do so with renewed hope for the immediate future and expectations for the long-term. Las Vegas has experienced little success lately, but hopes to turn things around under Kubiak and an improved coaching staff.

The players on the field win and lose games, so the moves the Raiders made in free agency and the draft will rightfully garner most of the attention. The same can be said about the hiring of Kubiak, who was one of the top coaching candidates on the market earlier this offseason.

Don't Sleep on Jeberaeel

However, along with the arrival of Kubiak, his three coordinators, and all of the new talent Las Vegas added to the roster this offseason, the Raiders also hired several positional coaches who will play pivotal roles this season. Even among those hires, some are more notable than others.

Considering how last season went for the Raiders, specifically on offense, it is no secret how critical their positional coaches will be moving forward. Technically, that goes without saying, but after last season's 3-14 campaign, it is far too soon to believe anything is obvious or a foregone conclusion.

Much like the roster moves the Raiders made this offseason, every coaching staff hire that was made was made for a specific reason. Unlike last offseason, Las Vegas was sure to fill its coaching staff with a healthy mix of talented coaches from around the league. Each move was made with precision.

As they prepare for training camp and the regular season, Kubiak is taking a similar approach to the team's development. He recently noted that neither he nor his staff is easily satisfied. Although they have made progress early in the process, they are nowhere near where they want to be.

“[We are] really never pleased. We could always be better. We're always very critical of ourselves with how we can get the most out of every hour for these players in a positive way and let them know that we are not wasting their time. We put in the work for them to give them productive days,” Kubiak said following Organized Team Activities.  

“So, I think you're always trying to improve there. We're off to a solid start. Everyone's undefeated right now, right? But we know sooner or later that it's going to get real competitive and we got to find out who's the guys we can count on in those stressful situations, coaches included.”

Kubiak filled his coordinator positions within about a week of accepting the Raiders' head coaching job. Then, Kubiak filled out the rest of the staff with several coaches he trusts and has worked with before, such as Rick Dennison.

As a head coach, Kubiak no longer has the ability to focus solely on one side of the ball or on one position group. He has been tasked with overseeing the entire operation, which means he must allow the coaches he hired to do their jobs. This requires trust from Kubiak and the Raiders' front office.

“Yeah, obviously learning that on the fly. We hired these assistants for a reason, so I got to trust them to do their jobs. And I know the Raiders brought me here for a reason as well, to coach offense,” Kubiak said. 

“So, I'm going to be spending a lot of time with the offense and kind of make sure I get that right, all the while being with the whole team. But Robbie Leonard and Joe DeCamillis, two phenomenal coaches that I'm really happy to have leading their units.”

Yet, along with Dennison and many others on the Raiders' coaching staff, one positional coach who will play an important role moving forward is Las Vegas' run game coordinator, Mario Jeberaeel. Dennsion has the lead role on the offensive line and has already been very hands-on with the unit.

However, in OTAs, Jeberaeel was seen working in more detail and more closely with the offensive line than the Raiders' offensive coaching staff did at any point last season. The unit is still a work in progress. They are sure to have their growing pains in the first year in a new offense.

However, Jeberaeel has shown that, at the very least, the Raiders' offensive line will have more than enough coaching, unlike the other way around, as was the case in 2025. In the immediate, Jeberaeel, in combination with Las Vegas' new coaching staff and revamped roster, should be productive.

More importantly, he should be expected to play a quiet but critical role in helping Kubiak's coaching staff fix what one of the worst offensive lines in the National Football League was last season. Positional coaches are always important, but even more so for Las Vegas, considering last season.

Las Vegas has finished with the fewest rushing yards of any team in the league two of the past three seasons. In the third of those seasons, they finished with the third-fewest rushing yards of any team. The Raiders know all too well that it is never good for a team to be one-dimensional.

They also know how important every level of their coaching staff is. The hiring of Jeberaeel, his prior ties to Kubiak, and his obvious passion for his work warrant excitement for the Raiders' offensive line and the offense as a whole in 2026 and beyond.