Anyone who has been paying attention to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason knows that the team has made a fleet of major moves in both free agency and the NFL Draft. By all accounts, it has been a successful stretch, and the team has added boatloads of talent.
But after a disastrous 2025 NFL season in which a team with tons of veterans playing key snaps finished tied for the worst record in the league and atop the 2026 NFL Draft board, the Raiders needed to make some serious changes for the betterment of their future.
And somehow, John Spytek and the front office were able to thread the needle over the last few months. Not only did they land talented players, but young ones whose futures are still bright. Now, Las Vegas is one of the youngest teams in the league and clearly rebuilding and angling for the future.
Las Vegas Raiders' young roster is proof that a rebuild is in the cards
NFL commentator Ian Hartitz posted a graphic on social media that detailed the ages of the league's rosters relative to each other. Of the 32 teams, the Raiders have the sixth-youngest overall roster, which means that the goal for 2026 is clearly to build a foundation and develop young talent.
When breaking it down further, the Raiders' average age is 25.73 years old, but their defense's average age is just 25.46, and the offense is just 26.00. Those are third and 17th in the NFL, respectively. The offensive age is being dragged up by an aging veteran or two anyway.
Outside of slot cornerback Taron Johnson, who was added via trade, and quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was signed to mentor Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas has put a premium on youth by adding Tyler Linderbaum, Kwity Paye, Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Nailor and a 10-man draft class.
Last season, head coach Pete Carroll seemingly did everything that he could to play the team's older players. He signed Tyler Lockett to take snaps from two rookie wideouts, he tried to play Alex Cappa over Jackson Powers-Johnson, and countless other examples exist.
But with a true lack of veteran players on the team, it will be hard for this Las Vegas team to have sustained success. And that is okay. This roster isn't ready to make a run this season, but these young players should improve throughout the year and be better for it in the future.
Klint Kubiak clearly wants to see what the inexperienced players on the roster have to offer, as essentially two full draft classes need extended run on the field for a full and fair evaluation. That can't be achieved with too many bona fide veterans on the roster. Youth is the name of the game in Las Vegas.
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