Ahead of their first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Las Vegas Raiders released their initial depth chart for the 2026 NFL season.
Typically, there isn’t much to glean since coaches don’t want to show their hand before the regular-season opener. However, the Raiders have several position battles during training camp, and there were a handful of surprises on the two-deep that can provide some insight or takeaways on how those competitions are playing out.
Richardson over McCoy
When it comes to Las Vegas’ cornerback situation, most of the attention has been on Hezekiah Masses’ rise to compete with Darien Porter for a starting spot, with Masses leapfrogging fellow rookie Jermod McCoy on the depth chart. That was confirmed with the fifth-rounder getting the second-string spot behind Porter. But there was a surprise at the position because McCoy isn’t the other backup corner; Decamerion Richardson is.
It seems like Richardson has quietly been having a good camp, and there have been reports about him getting some run with the starting defense. Albeit, those notes are typically buried at the bottom of camp reports because the battle between Porter and Masses has been drawing the most attention.
Regardless, the third-year pro has made a strong enough impression on the coaching staff to currently be ahead of McCoy, who is very talented but has been on a pitch count while recovering from the torn ACL that caused him to miss all of last season at Tennessee.
Between Eric Stokes, Porter, Masses, Richardson and McCoy, the Raiders have a problem on the perimeter of the defense, but it’s a good problem to have! There’s a lot of young talent that seems to be rising during training camp, but the math might not work out to be able to keep all of them on the 53-man roster. If all of them play well during the preseason, then maybe there’s an opportunity to swing a trade and address another position.
Hemingway Starting
Heading into camp, it looked like Thomas Booker IV and Jonah Laulu would be the starting defensive tackles since those two were the primary starters last year. However, neither is a first-stringer on the initial depth chart, with Adam Butler and Tonka Hemingway sitting at the top. Butler isn’t surprising since he’s the most experienced player at the position, but Hemingway is a little eyebrow-raising.
The South Carolina product only played in nine games with zero starts and 195 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference, as a rookie last season. However, anyone who has been paying attention to training camp knows that he’s been one of the most improved players on the roster. So, this just confirmed the reports and speaks highly to the work he put in during the offseason.
Bech over Benson
Malik Benson has been another rising star early in camp, as he’s been forming a strong connection with Fernando Mendoza and received first-team reps when Jalen Nailor was held out of practice. Meanwhile, Jack Bech had a quiet start to the summer but has reportedly been making more plays recently. It’s still early, so Bech can’t get too comfortable. But he does have the upper hand at becoming the third wide receiver in 11 personnel.
For those curious/also within the wide receiver room, Dont’e Thornton Jr. is also listed with the second-team offense right now.
Zuhn (backup) Right Tackle
Part of the reason John Spytek used a third-round pick on Trey Zuhn III is the offensive lineman’s position versatility. He played both left tackle and center in college, and was considered a candidate to switch to guard as a pro prospect. On top of that, the Raiders’ coaching staff was moving the Texas A&M product around during the spring and training camp, seemingly playing a different position every day.
So, the fact Zuhn was listed as a right tackle is interesting for a few reasons. That likely means he’s competing with DJ Glaze for a starting spot rather than factoring into the mix for the battle at guard. It’s also worth noting that Glaze had an up-and-down start to camp, and Zuhn didn’t take his first snaps at right tackle until about a week or so into practices this summer.
Additionally, this is a strong sign that Charles Grant, who was viewed as a potential contender to push Glaze, isn’t a significant competitor or is at least viewed as the third option on the right edge. Grant was listed as the backup left tackle behind Kolton Miller and hasn’t gotten much, if any, run on the other side of the line based on the training camp reports.
Stukes Free Safety
Another rookie whose best position was in question after getting drafted, Stukes was primarily a nickelback at Arizona. However, after trading for Taron Johnson, the Raiders needed more help at free safety this offseason. That led to some questions about where the former Wildcat would line up, and the initial depth chart has him slotted behind Isaiah Pola-Mao at free safety.
So, another takeaway here is that Stukes is still listed as a backup, which was a hot topic of discussion during the first week of camp. However, he’s been working with first-team defense more recently, rotating on the backend of the defense with Pola-Mao. In other words, that competition is still alive, and we got some clarity on what the plan is for the second-round pick.
Nickelback Clarity
On that note, there was some talk about Johnson playing safety, and it could still be the case that he’s going to take on a versatile role for the Silver and Black this season. However, he was listed as the starting slot corner, which, along with Stukes being slotted as a safety, confirms that the veteran is the team’s primary nickelback right now.
Also, don’t sleep on Greedy Vance making the team. He’s had a couple of interceptions off Mendoza to make a name for himself, and the 2025 undrafted free agent is right behind Johnson on the two-deep. That’s another young corner/defensive back who could alter the math when it comes to cutdown day.
Specialists’ Standing
The only real surprise among the specialists was seeing Alex Ward listed ahead of Tyler Duzansky on the depth chart. According to The Athletic’s Sam Warren, Duzansky began camp as the first-team long snapper, but that appears to have flipped over the last couple of weeks and is something to keep an eye on during the preseason. (This is me sending out the bat signal for you, Ray…).
Also, the first depth chart confirmed that Matt Gay is ahead of Kansei Matsuzawa in the kicker competition. Baring a change, it seems like the Raiders are going to take advantage of Matsuzawa being eligible for the IPP exemption on the practice squad.
