The Raiders entered the offseason coming off a 3-14 season, and the moves since then have pushed the franchise in two different directions at once. Analysts have praised the draft and the overall reset under Mark Davis, but the roster still has holes that could shape which players gain ground and which ones are squeezed out.
The most glaring issue remains at receiver. The Raiders traded Jakobi Meyers at last year’s trade deadline, then replaced him with free agent Jalen Nailor and added only one receiver in the draft, sixth-round pick Malik Benson. No current Raiders receiver has ever topped 700 receiving yards in a season, and the group finished 2025 with the third-fewest receiving yards in the league at 1,696.
That thin profile did not stop the front office from drawing strong marks. Dane Brugler of The Athletic ranked the Raiders’ draft class third-best in the NFL, while Ted Nguyen ranked them as having the best offseason among rebuilding teams so far. The optimism has grown after the draft, but it has also sharpened the question of how the Raiders plan to create enough production without overhauling the position again.
General manager John Spytek has made clear he is comfortable with what is already on hand. He said he is a fan of Tre Tucker, championed the signing of Nailor and said he likes the development of Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton. He also said the Raiders are not going to force anything just to bring in more talent, a line that points to patience even as outside criticism of the receiver room continues.
That same measured approach has extended to the offense as a whole. Klint Kubiak was brought in as head coach, Tyler Linderbaum’s arrival gives the offensive line an anchor, and the team drafted Mike Washington Jr. to give Ashton Jeanty a potential running mate. Jeanty handled 266 carries last season, while the Raiders’ other backs combined for only 41, so adding help in the backfield was a clear priority.
The defense carries a similar mix of promise and unfinished business. The Raiders did not add an interior defensive lineman until seventh-round pick Brandon Cleveland, even though Christian Wilkins left during last training camp and the depth there remained a perceived need. That leaves the middle of the line as one of the few spots where the offseason did not fully match the urgency of the roster discussion.
One player who did benefit from the uncertainty was Laulu, the former undrafted free agent who broke out in 2025 with four sacks and 51 combined tackles. He had the most combined tackles among Raiders pass rushers not named Maxx Crosby, a sign that the roster churn may open the door for unexpected contributors even when the front office stops short of a major splash. The Raiders are betting that the pieces already in place can grow into the gaps, but the receiver room and interior line still look like the places where that bet will be tested first.
