It has already been pointed out just how difficult the Las Vegas Raiders' opponents and schedule are this fall. On top of that, the Silver and Black will have to face a massive rest disadvantage during the 2026 NFL season, meaning Klint Kubiak's team has nowhere to hide in his inaugural campaign.
But perhaps this exposure to some of the league's best will be good for this young Raiders team in the long run. They've already been working hard this offseason and gotten some extra time to do so, thanks to having a first-time head coach. But battling against external foes will be important too.
Yes, Las Vegas will have three preseason tilts, as every other team in the league will. But joint practices are a great opportunity to get some early work in and gauge where you're at as a team. Fortunately, the Raiders will get a crack at one with the Houston Texans in Week 2 of the preseason.
Las Vegas Raiders will reportedly have joint practices with Houston Texans before 2026 NFL season
Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle was the first to report this news. Las Vegas will head down to Houston for a Thursday evening preseason game on August 20, but it sounds like the Raiders are making it a day or two early to practice with the Texans, who are already an elite team.
Last year, Houston advanced to the AFC divisional round, where they fell to the eventual conference champion New England Patriots. The Texans, under the guidance of DeMeco Ryans, have arguably the league's best defense, as they are loaded at all three levels once again for 2026.
This will be a great test for a new-look Raiders offense and especially for rookie Fernando Mendoza, who will need as many reps as he can get against outside competition before Las Vegas decides on who will start in Week 1. Really, every position group will be challenged by Houston.
Given the Silver and Black's preseason schedule, joint practices only made sense with the Texans. The Raiders' two other exhibition matchups are against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, both of whom are on Las Vegas' schedule for the regular season as well.
Plus, Kubiak should know Ryans from being in the same orbit as him, as the former joined the 49ers' staff in 2023, and the latter left in 2022 after five years there. They are all part of that Shanahan/Kubiak/McVay tree of coaching, which, for the most part, is a tight-knit group.
Don't expect the Raiders to dominate this joint practice, as they will be throwing many young players into the fire for the first time after playing the Cardinals in Week 1 of the preseason. But expect Las Vegas to grow, which is most important and seemingly the name of the game this offseason.
Add us as a preferred source on Google