Klint Kubiak was cautious past period evaluating the Las Vegas Raiders, knowing that minicamp doesn’t comparison arsenic a information constituent to grooming camp.
“What squad that we’re going to become, we’ll find retired travel grooming campy erstwhile we enactment pads on,” Kubiak said. “There’s truthful galore guys that are possibly doing large close present that volition vanish travel the fall.”
Time to find retired who they are.
The Raiders study for grooming campy connected Tuesday and signifier successful afloat for the archetypal clip Wednesday, starting their prep for 2026 astatine Intermountain Health Performance Center. Kubiak arsenic their first-year manager volition proceed installing his concepts and civilization beside violative coordinator Andrew Janocko, antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard and peculiar teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis.
Installation coincides with contention betwixt 90 men for 53 spots successful metallic and black. Maxx Crosby volition unit the passer, Kolton Miller — and Tyler Linderbaum — volition support the passer, from whom Ashton Jeanty fields handoffs arsenic Brock Bowers runs routes and catches passes. Their roles connected the Raiders are without question arsenic battles for reps unfold astir them.
Here are 5 presumption battles worthy tracking:
■ Guard: Miller is backmost arsenic the longtime near tackle arsenic Linderbaum — arsenic a free-agent signee and the NFL’s highest-paid center — mans the mediate of the violative line, for which DJ Glaze is backmost aft starting 17 games past twelvemonth astatine close tackle. But Dylan Parham is simply a New York Jet aft starting 4 years for the Raiders astatine defender and Jackson Powers-Johnson’s midseason injury opened snaps astatine defender past twelvemonth for Caleb Rogers, past a rookie.
Spencer Burford joins the radical — aft 38 starts successful 4 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers — with third-round rookie draftee Trey Zuhn III. Powers-Johnson and Burford mightiness person the wrong way connected starting spots, but Rogers, Zuhn and Jordan Meredith should supply unit and competition successful camp.
■ No. 2 cornerback: Eric Stokes solidified his lasting past play arsenic the team’s apical country with Darien Porter, past a rookie, finishing the play arsenic a starter beside him. But the Raiders drafted Jermod McCoy and Hezekiah Masses successful the 4th and 5th rounds and repped them intermittently during offseason workouts with Porter other Stokes.
McCoy possesses top-end endowment and was pegged to beryllium a first-round pick, but concerns remained astir the torn close ACL helium sustained successful college. He raises the team’s ceiling if helium plays to his potential, though Porter is positioned for immoderate second-year maturation with Masses excessively pushing for playing clip amid his inheritance arsenic a shot hawk successful college.
■ No. 1 wide receiver: Bowers is backmost arsenic the focal constituent and apical people successful the passing discourtesy (from the choky extremity spot) with injuries past twelvemonth limiting his availability and productivity. Save for Bowers, who had 112 catches for 1,194 receiving yards successful 2024 arsenic a rookie, the Raiders don’t person a proven go-to receiving threat.
Tre Tucker is the apical incumbent aft logging a career-high 696 yards successful 2025 to pb the team. The Raiders besides signed speedster Jalen Nailor (444 receiving yards successful 2025) distant from the Minnesota Vikings, for whom helium played down Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Dont’e Thornton Jr. and Jack Bech could instrumentality second-year steps pursuing constricted accumulation successful 2025.
Kicker: Daniel Carlson’s eight-year tally is implicit contempt the 10th-best field-goal percent ever (86.9 percent) and All-Pro first-team honors successful 2022. He cedes his spot arsenic Raiders kicker to seasoned Matt Gay oregon rookie Kansei Matsuzawa, some of whom were acquired this offseason.
Gay kicked for the Los Angeles Rams successful their Super Bowl run of 2021 and has an 84.3 percent field-goal percentage, marred successful portion by his 73.9 percent people past play with the Washington Commanders and 49ers. Matsuzawa was an All-American astatine Hawaii, making 93.1 percent of his kicks past play portion starring kickers successful points.
■ Quarterback … benignant of: The Raiders didn’t warrant Kirk Cousins $20 cardinal successful 2026 to commencement the play lasting connected the sideline arsenic a high-priced backup to Fernando Mendoza. The 15-year seasoned and four-time Pro Bowl honoree led the archetypal portion passim the offseason programme and figures to start for the metallic and achromatic truthful agelong arsenic he’s dependable during grooming camp.
But Mendoza tin propulsion for playing clip sooner — should Cousins conflict consistently successful grooming camp, this play oregon befall astatine 38 to wounded — if helium makes the astir of his first-team reps with completions and all-around bid of the offense.
As Kubiak said six weeks ago: “The existent valuation comes with those 11 practices earlier we play that archetypal preseason game.”
Almost that time.
Contact Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected X.
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