The Las Vegas Raiders' offense is already leaps and bounds better than it was a year ago. Geno Smith is now the quarterback, Ashton Jeanty and Raheem Mostert will man the backfield, and Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer are set to become the most lethal duo of young tight ends in the NFL.
Oh, and Chip Kelly, a known offensive mastermind, is calling the plays. There are still some questions about the wide receiver room, but at least the top five players seem set. Returners Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker will make the roster, as will rookies Jack Bech, Dont'e Thornton Jr. and Tommy Mellott.
If the Raiders decide to carry a sixth receiver, however, things could get a bit dicey. All told, the team has 12 wideouts currently on the roster, but only three of them are really in line to challenge for the final spot in the room.
Raiders WR battle will be one to watch in training camp
Alex Bachman, Collin Johnson and Kyle Philips are set to battle for the sixth and final chair in the Raiders' wide receiver room during the preseason. Bachman and Johnson have been in the league since 2020, and Philips has only been in the NFL since 2022.
Bachman has played in just 10 career games, but he played in six last season for Las Vegas. He caught all three of his targets for 31 yards, two of which resulted in first downs. All of his production came against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6.
Johnson was a star in Hard Knocks last fall for the Chicago Bears and has played in 38 career games. He has 31 catches for 394 yards and two touchdowns under his belt at the professional level and played in nine games last season for the Bears.
RELATED: Raiders can expect (another) career year from this veteran in 2025
Philips has played in 13 NFL games, all for the Tennessee Titans. He has recorded 23 catches for 259 yards in his career, but he did not appear in a game last season after being waived with an injury designation, then floating around on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad.
Each of these players brings a wildly different skill set and body type to the team, and ultimately, it may come down to how they complement the rest of the room. If a player like Mellott is ready to get snaps on Day 1, Bachman may be best utilized as a strong special teams player.
If a player like Thornton is not quite ready to go by Week 1, it may behoove the team to keep a big body like the 6-foot-6, 222-pound Johnson. If the team needs a more surefire solution in the slot, then Philips, who played for Chip Kelly at UCLA, may be the best option.
It is entirely possible that the team keeps just five wideouts, and there is also a chance that a player like Mellott ends up on the practice squad, and two of these players make the team. However, as it stands now, these three players will be battling for a spot come training camp and the preseason, and, fortunately, the Raiders cannot go wrong.