The Las Vegas Raiders made a flurry of moves on the first day of the legal tampering period to kick off 2026 NFL free agency. But the unexpected return of Maxx Crosby and his $30 million salary cap hit forced John Spytek to take a step back and re-evaluate, putting a pause on any other big moves.
After the first wave of roster moves, we pointed out three players who could be put on notice in the second week of free agency if the Raiders went out and added a player at their position: D.J. Glaze, Isaiah Pola-Mao, and Caleb Rogers. The latter has now been put on notice.
Rogers was essentially penciled into the starting lineup before Tuesday's signing of former San Francisco 49ers guard Spencer Burford. But the second-year product out of Texas Tech is now likely to have to battle for a spot in the opening day lineup, which is, by all accounts, a good thing.
Raiders' Spencer Burford signing puts Caleb Rogers in a competition
Although Rogers looked incredibly promising during his six-game stretch at the end of the 2025 NFL season, once Pete Carroll finally let him off his leash, he faltered a bit in the season finale, giving up two sacks against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yes, he was a third-round selection last April and is heading into Year 2 with six straight starts and now 284 offensive snaps under his belt. But for as promising as Rogers looked, he didn't exactly prove that he should have the job outright.
Burford is the perfect player to add to the mix to compete with Rogers. He's not a true starting-level guard, but he did start 38 games across his last four seasons with the 49ers. One can't write his name in pen in the starting lineup, but one can't act like he's not at least a threat to start over Rogers.
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He also has a leg up over Rogers because he played with Klint Kubiak back in 2023, and Burford has extensive experience in outside zone blocking schemes after spending the first four years of his career with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. That's not unimportant.
On the other hand, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler noted that Burford is just signing a one-year deal, with the exact details of his contract unknown. So, it is not a stretch to say that the Raiders aren't necessarily convinced he'll be a long-term option for them. But they seem willing to give him a shot.
Ideally, this plays out differently than it did a year ago with Jackson Powers-Johnson and Alex Cappa. Kubiak should have them battle during the offseason, and by the preseason, the starting five on the offensive line should be getting the bulk of the reps together.
Whether it's Rogers or Burford shouldn't matter too much for Raider Nation. The best player should win. For Rogers, he was the best man for the job this time yesterday. They weren't just going to give him the spot, but now he especially has to go out and prove it all offseason.