What Kubiak, Raiders Aim To Establish During Training Camp

Las Vegas has been hard at work all offseason, finding different ways to improve. Considering coaching was as big an issue as their roster last season, the Raiders started from the top down, hiring Klint Kubiak and quickly filling out his coaching staff with a wide array of experienced coaches.

There is no sample size to prove it, but it is fair to believe that Las Vegas' new-look coaching staff is already better than the one in place last season. That alone is progress for a Raiders team that has lost nearly 30 games in the last two seasons combined.

As the Raiders look to turn things around, they have addressed each of their most pressing needs in an aggressive yet level manner. Those needs spanned across the coaching staff and roster. Now, they look to continue laying the next layer to their foundation under Kubiak.

Las Vegas' offseason moves were admirable, but it is now time to move on to what is undoubtedly the most important part of the offseason. If the Raiders plan to add more wins to their record this season, they must string together a strong set of practices in training camp ahead of Week 1.

The Standard

Along with continuity across the board, the Raiders enter training camp aiming to continue establishing a new way of doing things under Kubiak and his coaching staff. Training camp gives Las Vegas the opportunity to make even more progress in a short amount of time.

The Raiders will soon get the chance to put on the pads and go at it full speed. This will be the most critical phase of the summer for Kubiak's Raiders. Las Vegas is in the process of implementing new schemes on offense and defense, both under a new coaching staff.

Yet, for all the work the Raiders must do to continue improving on the field, Las Vegas hired Kubiak to revamp much more than just their team. The Raiders' issues over the past half-decade have stemmed from much more than just their coaching staff and roster.

Both have been addressed this offseason, but the Raiders' turnaround will require them to tackle something much bigger than either of those. Las Vegas' culture has been a losing one for much of recent memory. As they look to change that culture by winning on Sundays, it starts well before then.

Kubiak and all the new additions made and to be made must continue to operate as if the steps they are taking now are just as much a part of setting a new standard as winning games during the regular season. In fact, wins will not come without a productive camp.

The Raiders must change their standard. It appears they have already begun doing so, making solid coaching staff and roster moves that should lead to tangible improvement this upcoming season. Yet, as assistant coach Mike McCoy recently explained, the process is just getting started.

"Well, give Coach [Klint Kubiak] all the credit in the world for establishing a standard that's very high. He's very demanding. He's not going to hold back on anybody in the meetings, team meetings. He's not afraid to point anybody out at practice,” McCoy said. 

“It doesn't matter who you are, he's going to coach you hard. There's a standard, and that's the standard he set, and if you want to be great in this league, there's a way to prepare, a way to practice, a way to work, a way to be connected as a team. The things we've done, it's been outstanding, but everything starts with Klint's leadership and the way he treats the players."

Kubiak has been given the keys to a rebuilding, but improved Raiders roster. The Raiders' front office hopes the combination of Kubiak and the many years of experience he and his coaching staff have in previous, similar situations will help expedite their rebuild.

“Being a part of many year ones, you learn from your mistakes, you learn what works, how to best bring the players along, how not to load them up too much, and kind of give them things in the install piecemeal, and then there's days where you go out there and just stress the heck out of them mentally and see what they can retain,” Kubiak said.

“But I think it kind of goes back to the people that you're around, and I've been lucky in those two spots to be around some other coaches, some familiarity where you don't have to spend that much time with the offensive line, with the quarterbacks with guys like Rick [Dennison] and Andrew [Janocko]."

The Raiders' 2026 training camp should be the best and most productive they have had in many years. Las Vegas has had a quiet past few weeks ahead of a vital next few weeks. Soon, Las Vegas gets to take the next step in what has already been an intriguing process.

It has been a long, forgettable past three seasons for the Raiders. They have lacked many of the things they now have readily available. As it stands, there are many unknowns that surround the 2026 Raiders, but after years of predictability, the unknown should be welcomed.

Las Vegas is quietly at a pivotal point in its overall rebuild, as it will now put all its new offseason additions together on the field. The Raiders' offseason moves will be judged, in part, by how much progress they can make on the field from this point forward.