The intensity got turned up another notch on Monday at the Las Vegas Raiders' training camp ahead of the 2026 NFL season, as the pads came on for the first time under new head coach Klint Kubiak. While the evaluation period had already begun, it all means a bit more now with the live bullets flying.
It is particularly difficult to get an accurate depiction of how the offensive and defensive lines are faring without the pads on. In addition to that, players coming off an injury have a chance to prove that they are just fine, and rookies in their first training camp can make a strong first impression.
With all of this in mind, let's take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from the initial day of live action in Las Vegas. Because when the "real football" started, it revealed a lot about this Raiders team, whether that was good, bad or indifferent.
5 things we learned from Las Vegas Raiders' first padded training camp practice
Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers are fully, undoubtedly, unequivocally BACK
Both of these players finished the 2025 campaign on IR, but they are both back with a vengeance. Crosby was probably foaming at the mouth to hit somebody again, and he made the most of putting the pads on, dominating the Raiders' offensive line at junctures during practice on Monday.
Bowers continued his impressive offseason adapting to a new offense under Kubiak, and his knee injury from last season doesn't seem to be slowing him down, either. He's making life incredibly difficult for the Las Vegas defense, but easy for Kirk Cousins and the first-team offense.
Zeke Masses is here to stay in Raiders' CB2 battle
Kubiak challenged Masses publicly after minicamp, wondering if he could carry over his strong spring showings to when the pads came on in training camp. And by all accounts, he did. Outside of one penalty, Masses looked good in 1-on-1 drills and continued to rotate in with the first-team defense.
He made a handful of nice plays, both in competitive drills against the Raiders' wide receivers and with the top veteran group in team period. Las Vegas even put him and fellow rookie corner Jermod McCoy out there together with the 1s at one point, displaying immense confidence in the young duo.
Fernando Mendoza is a rookie and still needs to grow
Mendoza started out training camp like gangbusters, but he sputtered a bit on Sunday. And his up-and-down preseason continued when the pads came on on Monday. After making a few off-target throws, he bounced back at the end of practice with some nice completions.
Procedural errors have been an issue, from the offense having to take timeouts to getting penalized when Mendoza is under center. But nobody in the building seems too concerned about it, nor should they be. Mendoza is a rookie with a lot to learn, and the Raiders are giving him a runway to do just that.
Tonka Hemingway hype wasn't just smoke and mirrors
Hemingway parlayed a strong end to his rookie season into a nice spring and early summer with the Silver and Black. He was rotating in with the first-team defense at the start of training camp, but for a "tweener" like Hemingway, it mattered a great deal what happened when the pads came on.
And Hemingway continued to strut his stuff during Monday's session, as he had a "would-be" sack on Kirk Cousins, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden. His ability to get pressure up the middle and stop the run will be a huge boon to Rob Leonard's defense. The Hemingway hype train is picking up steam.
DJ Glaze is still weak link on an improved Raiders offensive line
According to most reporters, the offseason buzz about the offensive line improving in Las Vegas actually materialized during Monday's padded practice. There was some give-and-take with a strong Raiders defensive front, of course, but nothing like the disaster that was last year.
That said, Glaze continues to be a weak link at right tackle. After struggling in non-padded practices earlier in training camp, the third-year pro didn't fare much better with pads, giving up sacks and tackles for loss. This is concerning for Las Vegas, but there's still time for him to turn things around.
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