After their Week 8 win, which snapped a four-game losing streak, the good vibes have been restored for the Las Vegas Raiders. Klint Kubiak is giving electric speeches in the locker room, Kirk Cousins is shrouded in chains and jewelry on the team plane, and Raider Nation is taking over rival stadiums.
As it should be.
The path won't get easier in the coming weeks for Las Vegas, as it takes on the San Francisco 49ers on the road before returning home to host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The following week, they'll head back on the road to face the Denver Broncos. It's a tough stretch.
But for now, Kubiak's team and this fanbase are riding high again at 4-4 near the midway point in the campaign. And with the trade deadline on the horizon, too, plenty is going on in the NFL and in the world of the Silver and Black, so more fireworks could potentially be on the way.
Smaller stories and bits of information continue to slip through the cracks, though. Luckily, we are on clean-up duty!
Practice squad moves
On Tuesday afternoon, the Raiders announced the signing of defensive end Anthony Goodlow to the practice squad. In a corresponding move, offensive tackle Darian Kinnard was released from the practice squad in Las Vegas.
Goodlow played five years of college football at Tulsa before playing his sixth and final at Oklahoma State. He went undrafted in 2024 but landed with the Los Angeles Rams as a UDFA. Goodlow has since enjoyed stints with the Cardinals, Steelers and Panthers before coming to the Raiders.
Although Goodlow was announced as a defensive end, this preseason with the Panthers, he played equal snaps between defensive tackle and defensive end, if not more at tackle. That was the case for him in each of the last two preseasons as well.
He has played in just three NFL games, all of which were last year for Arizona. Goodlow recorded three tackles, including one for a loss, and a quarterback hit 36 defensive snaps. He'll replace Kinnard, who was added just a few weeks ago without much fanfare and never played.
Mark Davis on Fernando
Raider Nation has applauded Mark Davis recently because he's stepped back from the football operation, and it finally seems like he has the right people in charge. It comes as no surprise, then, that he recently told CNBC that he is not rushing the team to play Fernando Mendoza.
“From me, there’s absolutely no pressure whatsoever,” Davis said. “I’m really happy with the way it is with Fernando right now."
If there was any doubt that Mendoza is still the guy for the job, though, Davis eradicated it. He told CNBC that Mendoza has been a sponge and is working with Tom Brady on certain things, and that he is picking things up well from Kirk Cousins.
“Today, there’s a lot of pressure put on teams when they draft a guy number one that, you know, you’ve got to play him right away,” Davis said. “I’ve seen quarterbacks get fast-tracked onto the field, and they may do well, but they don’t learn all the intricacies of footwork and everything else that it takes. So they’re limited in their development maybe throughout their career.”
Everything is going according to plan.
Former Raider news galore
Daniel Carlson released by Saints
Carlson was having somewhat of a rough campaign for the Saints already, but missing two field goals in two weeks was clearly enough for New Orleans to part ways. The Raiders have surprisingly won the Matt Gay-Daniel Carlson swap in a landslide.
Jakorian Bennett released by Eagles
Another win for Las Vegas. John Spytek dealt Bennett to Philadelphia for Thomas Booker IV, straight up, last preseason. And while Booker IV has turned into a rotational player for the Raiders on the interior, Bennett has never amounted to anything with the Eagles due to injuries and other factors.
Alex Bachman released by Rams
Due to several injuries in the wide receiver room, Bachman was elevated to the active roster not long ago in Los Angeles. But he was released on Tuesday, in part because he had little impact and also because the Rams got healthier at his position.
Cam Miller added to Packers' practice squad
Miller was coveted enough by the Miami Dolphins last year that they poached him from the Raiders' practice squad late in the season, and then they waived him without bringing him back this fall. After a few months out of the NFL, Miller found a practice squad gig in Green Bay.
Jack Jones visits Panthers
Just days after being released by the 49ers, Jones may be nearing another shot at life in the league. The Panthers, who are in the thick of a weak NFC South hunt and are destitute at cornerback because of injuries, came calling. Let's see if they can get a deal done.
Several former Raiders land tryouts
Carter Bradley/Jamari Thrash - Cardinals
Corey Rucker - Dolphins
Isaiah Jatta - Vikings
Kyu Blu Kelly/David Long - 49ers
Quick hitters
CJ Gardner-Johnson was released by the Bills, which is kind of fun just weeks after he spit on Brock Bowers. He served a one-game suspension for the incident already, but it feels like poetic justice that he's back on the street looking for a job again so soon.
Rob Leonard's defense is nearing the wrong kind of history. If they give up 30+ points to the 49ers, who are coming off a bye, mind you, they will tie the NFL record with six straight games of giving up 30 or more points. This is not the opponent to be trying to fend off history against.
On the other side of the coin, Kubiak is dialing up incredible play calls on third down. The Raiders have the highest EPA on third down in the NFL, and it is not particularly close. Ideally, you don't live in third-down situations, but Las Vegas has been fine converting them.
Week 8 superlatives
Biggest promotion: Trey Zuhn III
Mike Washington Jr. might feel like the obvious choice here, but he went from a rotational player who already had a growing role to the featured back. But even he played just 38 snaps. Zuhn III went from a guy who played maybe five snaps a game to being the full-on starter, and he rocked it.
Biggest surprise performance: Jalen Nailor
Unfortunately, we've come to expect nothing from Nailor, so it was a pleasant surprise that he showed up on Sunday to the tune of four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. Each grab he made was critical, too.
The "he shut me up award": Kirk Cousins
Cousins, after a tumultuous few weeks, really brought his best stuff against New York. He looked like a Pro Bowl-level player, dicing up the Jets' secondary with pinpoint throws. Credit to him for fending off the Mendoza narratives for at least another week or two.
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