Although not satisfied and with an understanding of the level of the opponent they played, it should be all smiles for the Las Vegas Raiders after a successful Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. Not only did they win by two scores over the Miami Dolphins, but they showed real long-term promise.
But as my sixth-grade social studies teacher used to say so often: how can we know where we're going if we don't know where we've been? And I'd like to take that into the context of the Silver and Black to highlight every former Raider who was on an active NFL roster on opening weekend.
If you need a comprehensive guide to where everyone ended up, we've got you covered. But if you want to learn how they actually fared in the first game of the season at their non-Las Vegas home, then we've also got you covered. Use the table of contents to navigate or just scroll through it all.
- How every former Raiders player fared in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season
- The big names
- Notable players
- The forgottens
- Subtly solid performers
- It was still ugly
- Yes, they still exist in the NFL landscape
- The DNPs
How every former Raiders player fared in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season
The big names
Davante Adams, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Adams, like the rest of the sleepless Rams, looked out of whack in the land down under on Thursday night. He caught just three of his six targets for 26 yards, which was a complete dud of an opening performance for him after Adams led the league in receiving touchdowns a year ago.
Tyree Wilson, DE, New Orleans Saints
A change of scenery was needed for Wilson, but it hasn't quite benefited him thus far. He didn't play terribly against the Detroit Lions, but it was a classic Wilson game in which he was largely ineffectual, notching two tackles and no pressures. He also missed a tackle.
Darren Waller, TE, Carolina Panthers
Yes, Waller is still playing. And yes, he's actually playing pretty well. He caught two passes for 28 yards against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and he hauled in a touchdown that was called back for pass interference. But Waller is still making an impact on the game in 2026. Good for him.
Devin White, LB, Detroit Lions
White is doing in Detroit what he should have done in Las Vegas: play a rotational role. He saw just 18 snaps on Sunday and made three tackles and a stop. White actually played well in coverage, but to be fair, he looked like a Pro Bowler in Week 1 of last season, so we'll have to monitor this one.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Meyers continues to be a pivotal piece of a good Jacksonville offense, catching two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown in their Week 1 rout of the Cleveland Browns. He also ran the ball one time for two yards, because why not?
Khalil Mack, DE, Los Angeles Chargers
Mack had a pedestrian performance in the Chargers' shocking loss to the Arizona Cardinals, notching just two tackles, including one for a loss, and two pressures. He made one nice run stop and missed one tackle in 51 defensive snaps.
Daniel Carlson, K, New Orleans Saints
Carlson connected on a 28-yard field goal and went 3-for-3 on extra points, but he missed a potential game-winning 62-yarder as time expired, and the Saints ended up losing in overtime to the Detroit Lions.
Geno Smith, QB, New York Jets
Smith found some Week 1 magic, as he did last year, albeit against a much worse opponent. Still, he was 19-for-24 for 215 yards (with no touchdowns or interceptions), and he wasn't sacked. Smith ran six times for seven yards.
Notable players
Divine Deablo, LB, Atlanta Falcons
Deablo continues to be an above-average linebacker for the Falcons, as he notched seven tackles, including three solo and one for a loss, on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also recovered a fumble and recorded a QB pressure, but uncharacteristically gave up five catches for 78 yards.
Tre'Von Moehrig, SAF, Carolina Panthers
Moehrig continues to be a good starting safety for the Panthers, as he recorded three tackles in this game. The only problem is that he is part of a defense that gave up 59 points on Sunday, but Moehrig more than did his part to limit that, for what it's worth.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Carolina Panthers
Pickett got to play at the very end of the aforementioned Panthers loss, and he went 0-for-1 throwing the ball, but did rip off a 24-yard run.
Keisean Nixon, CB, Green Bay Packers
Nixon was never much more than a special-teamer in Las Vegas, but he's still a starting corner in Green Bay and actually started off the season hot after a tumultuous training camp. He made five tackles, had 0.5 sacks, a TFL, an interception and two QB hits. Not bad at all.
Alec Ingold, FB, Los Angeles Chargers
Ingold didn't get any touches in his 21 snaps on Sunday, and he didn't perform all that well as a blocker. That's a good thing, seeing as he's now part of the enemy, so hopefully those struggles and the Chargers' inability to run the ball bleed into Week 2 when the Raiders travel to Los Angeles.
Robert Spillane, LB, New England Patriots
Spillane continues to be an integral part of the Patriots' defense. He led New England with eight tackles last Wednesday, seven of which were solo, and he notched a quarterback pressure while also missing one tackle and giving up four completions.
Decamerion Richardson, CB, New Orleans Saints
Richardson is too new with the Saints to play at all defensively, but he did log 12 special teams snaps on two different units and recorded a sack.
Dylan Parham, G, New York Jets
Parham had a quintessential Parham performance on Sunday, beating up on a bad Tennessee Titans team and flat-out dominating in the run game, but struggling quite a bit in pass protection, as he gave up four pressures on Geno Smith.
Jack Jones, CB, San Francisco 49ers
Jones didn't play much against the Los Angeles Rams, but he got targeted when he did. In eight defensive snaps, he was thrown at four times and broke up two passes, giving up just one completion for five yards. It was a good night at the office for him.
Drake Thomas, LB, Seattle Seahawks
Thomas continues to be a good player on the Seattle defense, as every Raiders fan knew he would be. In a whopping 71 snaps on opening night, he had nine tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit and three pressures while playing solidly in coverage.
K'Lavon Chaisson, DE, Washington Commanders
Chaisson was a mixed bag against the Philadelphia Eagles, as he recorded three pressures and two quarterback hits, but he didn't land in the box score and missed a tackle while also giving up a completion.
Amik Robertson, CB, Washington Commanders
Robertson played a solid game against the Eagles, recording six tackles in the contest. He didn't get tested much in coverage, either, as Robertson was targeted just twice and gave up one catch for two yards. Tiny Loc lives on.
Clelin Ferrell, DE, Miami Dolphins
Ferrell played 11 defensive snaps and logged a tackle against his former team.
The forgottens
Maliek Collins, DT, Cleveland Browns
If you forgot that Collins was once supposed to fix the Raiders' defensive interior, you're not alone. But he's still chugging along in the NFL and recorded two pressures and a quarterback hit in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He also missed two tackles in 22 snaps.
Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Detroit Lions
Ya-Sin was actually a very good corner for Las Vegas, or at least underrated. And he's survived in the NFL long enough for a reason. On Sunday, Ya-Sin did what he has become prone to doing as he's aged, though, which is racking up a bunch of tackles because he gives up receptions. 7 of each!
Trent Brown, OT, Houston Texans
Maybe I blocked it out of my memory, but I always forget that Brown was infamously a Raider. He's still starting down in Houston, and he struggled a bit against the Buffalo Bills, giving up a sack, a hit and a pressure, and Brown failed to move people in the run game.
Mario Edwards Jr., DL, Houston Texans
Yes, Edwards is still playing and thriving. He notched a tackle, 0.5 sacks, a quarterback hit and a penalty in 18 defensive snaps on Sunday.
Arden Key, DE, Indianapolis Colts
Key, like so many other Reggie McKenzie-era defensive linemen, is still chugging along. He had five tackles, 0.5 sacks, a forced fumble, three pressures, and a quarterback hit against the Baltimore Ravens.
Jermaine Eluemunor, OT, New York Giants
Maybe folks haven't forgotten about Eluemunor, but he's still playing at a high level in New York. He played all 69 offensive snaps and pitched a complete shutout against a retooled Dallas Cowboys front while also moving bodies in the run game.
Shelby Harris, DT, New York Giants
Harris is an NFL survivalist, and he played 26 defensive snaps in primetime against the Dallas Cowboys. He didn't record any stats or play too well, but he's still out there at age 35. Good for him.
Eddy Pineiro, K, San Francisco 49ers
Pineiro was the Raiders' kicker a long time ago, but he's carved out a nice career for himself. On Thursday, he made 2 of his 3 kicks, including a make from 56 yards, and he knocked in all three extra points.
Solomon Thomas, DT, Tennessee Titans
The former No. 3 overall pick keeps finding gigs, and he played 20 snaps against the New York Jets on Sunday. He had one assisted tackle and a pressure.
Subtly solid performers
John Simpson, G, Baltimore Ravens
Simpson is in his first season as a starting guard with the Ravens, and he had a nice showing in his first time out. He played all 68 offensive snaps and fared really well as a run blocker, but struggled in pass protection and gave up a pressure. Simpson was also penalized once in the contest.
Thomas Harper, SAF, Detroit Lions
Harper was once a steal in Las Vegas, then wrongfully discarded. He's been a solid part of the Detroit secondary for over a year now, and he recorded three tackles and a pass deflection against the New Orleans Saints on opening weekend. Harper also had a pressure and gave up a big completion.
Foster Moreau, TE, Houston Texans
Fans still love Moreau, and rightfully so. He has a great story and was a solid performer for the Raiders. And he continued that on Sunday by catching both of his targets for 15 yards and being a solid blocker.
Jerry Tillery, DT, Indianapolis Colts
Tillery continues to bounce around after leaving Las Vegas, and he's still getting the job done to an extent. He had three tackles and two stops on 36 defensive snaps in Week 1.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Abdullah got in on the fun in the Jaguars' blowout of the Cleveland Browns, running four times for 32 yards, and he caught a pass for no gain. Abdullah also returned two kicks for 59 yards, including a 35-yarder.
Mack Hollins, WR, New England Patriots
Hollins was surprisingly the Patriots' most reliable pass-catching option in their opening-night loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He caught four passes for a team-high 51 yards.
Marcus Epps, SAF, Philadelphia Eagles
Epps is back contributing to the Eagles' defense for the second straight year, and he recorded seven tackles in their win over the Washington Commanders. In 53 snaps, he gave up just one short completion and made a stop.
It was still ugly
Stone Forsythe, OT, Carolina Panthers
Unbelievably, Forsythe played 10 offensive snaps for the Panthers, some in jumbo sets, and some in garbage time. He, of course, gave up a pressure in one of his three pass-pro reps, but he was average as a run blocker. Forsythe earned a 28.1 special teams grade because he gave up a block on a PAT.
Yes, they still exist in the NFL landscape
John Jenkins, DT, Baltimore Ravens
Jenkins is purely a rotational player on the interior at this point in his career, if he was ever anything more than that. On Sunday, he played 13 defensive snaps against the Colts and did not record a single stat, notching a PFF grade of 49.5 overall.
Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons
Hooper played 14 snaps for the Falcons on Sunday against the Steelers, but he didn't get targeted once. He earned a run-blocking grade of 67.5 from Pro Football Focus and played five snaps on special teams. He was already on the downswing in Las Vegas, and now he is even more so in Atlanta.
Trent Sieg, LS, Dallas Cowboys
Shoutout to Sieg still holding it down, as he snapped the ball five times in a primetime loss to the New York Giants with no issues.
Matt Dickerson, DL, Jacksonville Jaguars
Who? Dickerson spent an offseason with the Raiders back in 2018 and was cut, but is still finding work in the NFL. He played 18 snaps on Sunday and recorded a pressure.
Greg Van Roten, G, New England Patriots
Van Roten played two offensive snaps for the Patriots and completely whiffed on a blocking attempt.
The DNPs
Gardner Minshew, Andrew Billings (Arizona Cardinals)
Jarrett Stidham (Denver Broncos)
Josh Jacobs (Green Bay Packers) - Commissioner Exempt List
Ben Brown (New England Patriots)
Jordan Meredith (New York Jets)
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