A lot has changed in a year for the Las Vegas Raiders. After a forced marriage gone wrong between John Spytek and Pete Carroll last year, Spytek and Klint Kubiak really got to sink their teeth into fixing the roster this offseason, and they did an admirable job in doing so.
This new duo basically added at least one solid player at every position on the team, but a few holes still remain after the 2026 NFL Draft and free agency that need to be patched up. Help can still be found with camp cuts looming and trades or signings to be made before the season opens.
3 positions the Las Vegas Raiders still need to upgrade before the season
Defensive Tackle
Some analysts would say that this is the weakest position on the team. Former Miami Dolphins starter Benito Jones was recently added into the competition, and JJ Pegues, Tonka Hemingway and Thomas Booker will all return for their second year in the Silver and Black.
Adam Butler and Jonah Laulu are the two best players on the depth chart, but don't sleep on rookie seventh-rounder Brandon Cleveland as an option for the nose tackle role in Rob Leonard's 3-4 defense. But this group still lacks a player of Christian Wilkins' stature in the middle.
Some big names entering free agency in 2027, but they will be all over the age of 30. The draft class looks a lot more promising. But it wouldn't be a surprise if they speed up that timeline and sign someone else from a practice squad or give another chance to a released veteran before the year.
Safety
Second-round draft pick Treydan Stukes, a versatile defensive back, is listed as a safety on the roster, but he'll roam the secondary at multiple spots. After all, getting drafted that high means he didn't get brought in to sit the bench, so they'll find a place for him.
Although he could start out in a nickel role, depending upon how long Taron Johnson decides to hold out for more money, Stukes is clearly the long-term replacement for Isaiah Pola-Mao at the deep safety position.
Jeremy Chinn is in a contract year, and the free agents in 2027 are not very promising. There are no current safeties available on the market that are worth entertaining, so Dalton Johnson could also see the field, as long as he can progress in the right direction in practice.
Guys like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Malik Hooker have been rumored to be on the chopping block and would be worth a look at the right price in the future.
Wide Receiver
A quarterback's best friend is a number one receiver. Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza have Brock Bowers but are missing a game-changer on the outside. Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker are adequate, but they are not difference-makers like Bowers is.
Carson Beck is realistically the only other rookie quarterback who is in line to start this season, and he has Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jeremiyah Love. One could argue that that is a more complete set of weapons than what Las Vegas has for Mendoza.
The Raiders will probably wait for the 2027 draft to select someone like Jeremiah Smith or Cam Coleman in what is the best wide receiver class in a while. George Pickens and Drake London are long shot free agent options next year if they somehow don't get an extension.
As for the current options, though, Las Vegas may as well just see what it has in its youngsters for 2026.
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