Most would consider the Las Vegas Raiders' wide receiver corps among the worst, if not the worst, in the league. Unfortunately, it's an area of the roster where not much is expected. Fortunately, though, they are extremely young at the position and can grow on the job.
John Spytek and Klint Kubiak are hoping to develop those young wideouts during the 2026 NFL season. They drafted two players in the 2025 NFL Draft: Jack Bech out of TCU and Dont'e Thornton Jr. out of Tennessee. Both had disappointing 2025 seasons, with neither putting up much production.
After two weeks of training camp, Thornton Jr. wasn't making any progress, as he had been injured, and Bech wasn’t making a ton of plays. This left fans wondering about the future of both players in Las Vegas.
Bech responded well during the first preseason game of 2026, though. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Bech played the first and second quarters and recorded three catches for 25 yards and one touchdown. All three catches came on third down.
More importantly, though, Bech showed improvement as a route-runner in the opener, which is a key area for him to improve upon if he wants to carve out a role in this offense.
Raiders' Jack Bech showed significant improvement as a route runner
Bech struggled last season with separation, to put it mildly. He didn't fare well against press coverage, which, to be fair, he shouldn't have been lined up out wide as often as he was, but he found himself in contested catch situations more often than not. Last Thursday, Bech showed growth in this area.
On his second catch of the game, Bech's development as a route runner shined bright. Against man coverage, he ran an out route on the strong side of the field. During his release, Bech shows nuance as a route runner, learning to use his strength as a weapon against smaller defensive backs.
He does a good job of leaning on Max Melton at the top of his route stem. Keeping his head down, he gets Melton to commit to the fade route. At the last second, he has a veteran push-off and gains a ton of separation, ending it with a great catch for the first down.
On his touchdown reception, the nuance appeared once more.
Against the Cardinals' quarters coverage, Bech attacks the outside shoulder of the slot cornerback to help open up room for the slant. He then quickly cuts back inside, freezing the cornerback and creating plenty of room for Mendoza to fit it in for a touchdown.
Add on Bech’s ability as a blocker, and there is a pathway for meaningful snaps for the former TCU Horned Frog in this offense.
After plenty of talk about his demise with Malik Benson playing well and Bech potentially falling down the depth chart, he showed why he was drafted in the second round of 2025. Fans are hoping for more of the same going forward.
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