It wouldn't be remotely groundbreaking to say that the Las Vegas Raiders have a lot to figure out at the wide receiver position with the 2026 NFL season on the horizon. Klint Kubiak clearly isn't happy with the group's performance thus far, as he said on Saturday that they are "still looking" for help.
Last week, that came in the form of veteran wideout Noah Brown. Las Vegas actually cut defensive tackle Benito Jones earlier than expected to clear room for Brown on the roster as they dealt with Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s injury and a general lack of anyone else stepping up in the early going.
But just as fast as he arrived at Raiders HQ, Brown is now leaving. After only one week with the team, Las Vegas announced on Monday afternoon that it is releasing Brown, with no imminent corresponding move stated. Talk about a short stint with a team and the cold, cold reality of the NFL.
Raiders release WR Noah Brown after just one week in Las Vegas
Brown did play in the Silver and Black's preseason game against the Houston Texans last week, and on short notice, he was out there for 10 offensive snaps. He was probably drinking from a fire hose after a Monday practice, a Tuesday joint practice and a Thursday game, but Brown actually fared fine.
He was targeted just one time and hauled in an 11-yard catch, which came early in the fourth quarter on a pass from Aidan O'Connell to move the sticks. Oddly enough, Brown was actually the Raiders' fifth-highest-graded offensive player in the game, at least according to Pro Football Focus.
None of that was enough, however, for John Spytek and Klint Kubiak to justify keeping him around, even though they had an open roster spot. Las Vegas could have added another player into the fold and not touched Brown, but they opted to release him without signing another player. A bit peculiar.
Maybe this has to do with the recent Ashton Jeanty injury news, as the Raiders may want to bring in a duo of running backs to challenge for a roster spot instead of keeping yet another non-consequential receiver around. After all, the team had 13 wideouts in the building before releasing Brown.
Perhaps another tentacle of this is that Thornton Jr. is expected to finally return from injury, as it seemed like the addition of Brown was somewhat tied to the second-year player being sidelined with yet another ailment. That is just conjecture, but it is hard to put all of these pieces together right now.
At the end of the day, Brown was a late-stage signing, and these things rarely work out. The Raiders absolutely still need wide receiver help, but they didn't feel confident that Brown was that. So, after just one week, Las Vegas saw all it needed to see and cut ties with Brown.
Brutal.
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