The Las Vegas Raiders are about to play their first preseason game of the 2026 NFL season, facing off against the Arizona Cardinals. That also means it’s time for the first attempt at who will be on the Raiders’ 53-man roster at the end of training camp.
For simplicity, it’s assumed that 25 players on each side of the ball (offense/defense) and three specialists will be on the team for the first roster prediction. Silver and Black Pride will publish a new prediction after each preseason game to provide
updates based on how each player looks in the contests and the reports from training camp.
Quarterback
Starter: Kirk Cousins
Backups: Fernando Mendoza (R), Aidan O’Connell
Cut: Jacob Clark (R)
The only real question at quarterback is what’s going to happen with O’Connell? He’s entering a contract year, and it’s no secret that Mendoza is the franchise’s future behind center, while Cousins is the bridge-gap starter. That could make O’Connell a trade candidate at the end of camp, especially if he plays well during the preseason. Or, as recently discussed in a mailbag column, the coaching staff might want to keep the four-year pro around as a backup to prevent Mendoza from having to play before he’s ready if something were to happen to Cousins.
Running Back
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Mike Washington Jr. (R), Connor Heyward (FB), Dylan Laube
Cut: Roman Hemby (R), Dare Ogunbowale
It seems pretty clear that Jeanty and Washington will hold the top two spots in the Raiders’ backfield, and Heyward is the only fullback on the roster to make things simple. However, the running back room gets complicated when it comes to the final opening. Laube gets the nod right now because he can contribute on special teams and has the longest tenure in Las Vegas. But Hemby can easily take that role, and it’s worth noting that Ogubowale was signed after the coaching staff had a handful of practices to evaluate the position.
Wide Receiver
Starters: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Malik Benson (R)
Backups: Jack Bech, Dareke Young, E.J. Williams (R)
Cut: Dont’e Thornton Jr., Chase Roberts (R), Shedrick Jackson, Phillip Dorsett II, Deven Thompkins
The big question here is how many wideouts will the Raiders roster? I could see Klint Kubiak rolling with just five—with a couple on the practice squad—depending on how much 12 personnel he wants to run. On that note, the starters above are assuming 11 personnel. Also, wide receiver isn’t exactly a deep position group for the Silver and Black to complicate the projections at this stage.
As far as the prediction goes, the big surprise would be Thornton getting cut. However, that seems to be getting less shocking every day. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden noted recently that the fourth-round pick has been working with the second- and third-team offenses while being “nonexistent whenever on the field and has had a hard time creating separation from defenders.”
Tight Ends
Starter: Brock Bowers
Backups: Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas
Cut: Carter Runyon, Patrick Gurd, Albert Okwuegbunam, Chris Myarick
If Kubiak leans on 12 personnel, push Mayer up to the ‘starter(s)’ category. Heading into camp, I was hopeful that Runyon could beat out Thomas for the third tight end spot. But the former suffered an early injury and hasn’t been able to practice since. So, right now, the nine-year veteran has a significant advantage in making the team.
Offensive Line
Starters: Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze
Backups: Charles Grant, Caleb Rogers, Jordan Meredith, Trey Zuhn III (R)
Cut: Dalton Wagner, Will Putnam, Atonio Mafi, Kamar Missouri (R), Justin Pickett (R), Isaiah Jatta (R), Niklas Henning (R)
Three out of the five Raiders’ starting offensive line spots were expected to be up for grabs this summer. However, Burford has taken all of the first-team snaps at left guard, and the right guard battle is leaning toward Powers-Johnson since he’s taken the majority of first-team reps at that spot. Granted, JPJ and Rogers have been rotating recently, but Rogers missed practice with an injury on Monday.
At right tackle, it sounds like Glaze has had an up-and-down camp so far. But instead of Grant being the one to push the third-year pro, Zuhn has been getting opportunities to prove himself. It will be interesting to see how that plays out against the Cardinals.
Edge
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce
Backups: Kwity Paye, Keryon Crawford (R), Cian Slone (R)
Cut: Brennan Jackson, Jahfari Harvey, Patrick Johnson
Koonce’s name has been brought up a handful of times as a standout during camp, even making some plays against the run. Meanwhile, Paye hasn’t generated much buzz and has been banged up, to explain the ‘starters’ above. Crawford has also battled injuries, returning to practice with a red, non-contact jersey on Monday, per The Athletic’s Sam Warren. Warren also noted that Paye returned to action on the same day.
On a more positive note, Slone has been getting solid reviews to potentially earn a roster spot as an undrafted free agent. At this rate, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he’s ahead of the third-round pick on the depth chart.
Defensive Tackle
Starters: Thomas Booker IV, Adam Butler
Backups: Tonka Hemingway, Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues, Benito Jones
Cut: Brandon Cleveland (R), Gary Smith II (R), Treven Ma’ae
The ‘starters’ at defensive tackle are very fluid in Las Vegas. It’s a position group that lacks talent, and Hemingway has been one of the pleasant surprises from camp so far. Also, it sounds like Rob Leonard is going to use multiple fronts, not just the 3-4 scheme mentioned in the offseason, so the “first-string” defensive tackles could vary game to game.
Ideally, a young defensive tackle like Cleveland and/or Smith steps up and can make the coaching staff feel comfortable moving on from older veterans Butler and Jones. However, Butler has been with the first-team defense, and there hasn’t been much buzz about the two rookies so far.
Linebacker
Starters: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker
Backups: Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg, Segun Olubi
Cut: Xavian Sorey Jr. (R), Buddy Johnson, Cameron McGrone
Special teams is likely what will be the difference between who does and doesn’t make the team at linebacker. That’s how Olubi has carved out a four-year career to date, while Eichenberg and Lindenberg took the most and second-most special teams snaps, respectively, on last year’s team, per Pro Football Focus. So, the three backers listed as cuts have a chance to earn a roster spot, but it’s hard to put them in that category at the moment.
Cornerback
Starters: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson
Backups: Hezekiah Masses (R), Jermod McCoy (R)
Cut: Decamerion Richardson, Greedy Vance, Chigozie Anusiem, Caleb Offord (R), Devyn Perkins (R)
From the sounds of it, the coaching staff will have some hard decisions to make at cornerback. Masses has been the star of training camp and is pushing Porter for a starting spot, while McCoy has arguably the most talent in the position group to factor into the mix when he isn’t on a pitch count anymore. Additionally, Vance has made a couple of interceptions off Mendoza to give the staff something to think about. That’s without mentioning that Johnson has been playing some safety to really throw the position group for a loop.
In other words, expect to see some changes at this spot moving forward.
Safety
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Isaiah Pola-Mao
Backups: Treydan Stukes (R), Dalton Johnson (R)
Cut: Tristin McCollum, Devin Lafayette (R)
We still don’t have a good idea of who’s starting at free safety, and Johnson could factor into that mix. After a slow start to camp, Stukes has been getting more reps with the starting defense and rotating with Pola-Mao to potentially win that job, too. So, it seems like the four safeties who will make the team are pretty clear, but the depth chart is not. Granted, that could change if Johnson makes the full-time position switch and alters the math on how many defensive backs are on the roster.
Specialists
Punter: AJ Cole III
Kicker: Matt Gay
Long snapper: Tyler Duzansky (R)
Cut: Kansei Matsuzawa (R), Alex Ward
It appears Gay has the early advantage in the kicking battle, and the idea of using the IPP practice squad exemption as a “redshirt” year for Matsuzawa has to be tempting for the Raiders. The ‘Tokoyo Toe’ could afford to add some leg strength to improve his range, while Gay has a history with special teams coach Joe DeCamillis. Additionally, Warren reported on July 31 that Duzansky is the first-team long snapper.
