Klint Kubiak inherited a porous roster when he signed on as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Luckily for him, John Spytek went to work this offseason to upgrade practically every position group and increase the competition, roster-wide. Now, it's on Kubiak and his staff to teach and develop.
By all accounts, things have gone well on that front thus far during training camp. Fernando Mendoza is quickly improving, and even players like fifth-round rookie Zeke Masses are making a name for themselves. Every player is being given a chance to battle for a spot on the roster or in the rotation.
Kubiak is making sure that his team remembers, however, that none of them have arrived yet.
“Yeah, the guys that like aren't an established guy, which is probably 90% of the team, in order for them to make the roster it’s special teams and playing multiple positions," Kubiak told reporters on Friday. "Receivers that can play all three, fullbacks that can play tight end and vice versa, DBs that can play corner, nickel and safety, so that's how you make the roster in the NFL.”
Sure, this answer is in response to a question about the value of versatility. But 90% of the team not being established? That's a harsh reminder from Kubiak, but one that every player in the building needed to hear.
Klint Kubiak lets Las Vegas Raiders players know they haven't arrived yet
The Las Vegas Raiders certainly haven't been short on coaches who can talk the talk in recent years. Between Jon Gruden, Antonio Pierce and Pete Carroll, the Silver and Black have been led by "rah-rah" coaches who ultimately lost the locker room because they failed to actually get results.
But Klint Kubiak has been as advertised. He said that he will be "all about the work" as the Raiders' head coach, and Kubiak is walking the walk. Whereas in the past, it felt like coaches had "their guys" and only a few spots on the team were actually up for grabs, apparently, most are still in Las Vegas.
“Anytime that a guy knows that his spot's in jeopardy, no one's comfortable," Kubiak explained. "So, that's great for coaches, for players to not be comfortable. The NFL does a really good job making sure that's a reality. When our team can be competitive at all positions, and our roster, our young roster, can push the veterans, we’re going to keep getting better.”
Carroll preached competition last summer, even coining "ComPETE" as his moniker. But what kind of true competition has clear favorites and doesn't punish the poor performers, nor reward those who play well? Several of Carroll's former Seattle Seahawks were simply above criticism or blame.
Not only did this not lead to wins for the Raiders in 2025, but it also fractured the locker room and sent the wrong message to the team's young players. Kubiak, however, is making sure that everyone stands on equal ground and is being pushed to get better and help the team.
Why should any returning starter from a 3-14 team, outside of a few obvious studs (the other 10%, let's say), feel confident that their job is secure? And in a way, why should anyone? Luckily for Kubiak, he feels like his team understands this message and is craving the improvement he wants to see.
"We've got guys that want to get better. So, when they're eager to get better, you better make sure you're on it as a coach," Kubiak said. "So, we've got to challenge ourselves as coaches and make sure that we're giving them the right coaching points and helping them get to where they want to get to."
A collaborative effort. Pushing players to compete "with" each other and not "against." Teaching them the right approach and developing their skills while also cultivating schemes that play to their strengths. This is the way for the Las Vegas Raiders to finally crawl out of the NFL's cellar.
It may be harsh to hear that 90% of the players on the Silver and Black's roster aren't established. However, 53 players still have to make the team, so Kubiak is challenging those in the building to reveal themselves to him as a starter, as a key contributor, as someone who deserves to stick around.
Complacency should be the worst enemy of a team like the Raiders, who have no laurels to even rest on. Kubiak reminded his team of that very fact after the first batch of training camp practices, and for a young, rebuilding squad that hasn't proven anything yet, that's exactly what they needed to hear.
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