After a surge in the spring, it took rookie Treydan Stukes a while to get going during training camp and the preseason. But some strong showings in mid-August turned him into the obvious starter at free safety, and he was rightfully tabbed as a first-teamer on the Las Vegas Raiders' initial depth chart.
He turned that momentum into a tremendous Week 1 showing against the Miami Dolphins to kick off the 2026 NFL season. But more critically, Stukes was locked exclusively into a role as a free safety, and at least on Sunday, he shut incumbent starter Isaiah Pola-Mao out of the game entirely.
Raider Nation expected Stukes to be an immediate starter for this defense, and hopes were high that he could produce more good than bad, even though all rookies have their ups and downs. And Stukes looked like the future at safety in Las Vegas against Miami, while potentially sealing Pola-Mao's fate.
Treydan Stukes starred for Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 vs. Miami Dolphins
Stukes played incredibly well on the back end for the Silver and Black, as fans barely noticed him. Oh, other than the interception that he had of Malik Willis while patrolling as the deep safety, which made him the first Raiders rookie to pick off a pass in his debut since Vann McElroy did it in 1982. History!
Barely noticing a free safety is like not noticing a soccer goalie. It's a good thing. As the last line of defense, your name typically only gets called when there is a breakdown or you give up a big play, but Las Vegas limited those for the most part against the Dolphins on opening weekend.
It seemed like one of the big breaks in coverage was the result of Eric Stokes not carrying his receiver deep enough, but Stukes was there to clean up the play and prevent any further damage. In fact, Stukes came up on several snaps to make tackles as well, tying for the team lead with six.
In coverage, Stukes had the aforementioned interception, but he was also sticky on other reps. Only one time did Miami cash in for a sizeable gain against him (depending on where the onus lies for the miscommunication), but Stukes was blanketed on the receiver; he just needed to turn his head.
"I saw a guy that took the practice field to the game," Klint Kubiak said of Stukes after the game. "That's how he practices, and he didn't change on Sunday."
Treydan Stukes' role begs a question about Isaiah Pola-Mao's future in Las Vegas
Stukes playing a lot wasn't necessarily a shock. But his playing almost exclusively at free safety and Pola-Mao not getting a single snap on defense were. Yes, Stukes was always going to be a centerfielder type, but his versatility to play up in the box and in the slot is also coveted by this staff.
Perhaps this is still the idea going forward, and the game plan simply called for Stukes to be the deep man all afternoon. To be fair, in comparison to 46 snaps at free safety, Stukes still logged six in the box and one each in the slot, out wide and on the defensive line. But that wasn't the expected split.
Reports from the offseason program indicated that Las Vegas may utilize three safeties a lot and be in nickel or dime packages, which would allow Stukes or Jeremy Chinn to play near the line of scrimmage more often. But that didn't come to fruition; Pola-Mao was completely shut out.
Now, Pola-Mao did play 20 special teams snaps, but he didn't rotate in on defense. Instead of moving Chinn to an inside linebacker role at times and bringing in Pola-Mao as a strong safety, as was often theorized this offseason, Quay Walker went to the line of scrimmage and Tommy Eichenberg came in.
It seems like there isn't a role for Pola-Mao in this defense, at least there wasn't in Week 1. And if that is the case going forward, then it's not wrong to think about the former starter's future in Las Vegas. In the final year of his deal, Pola-Mao could even be traded at the deadline in November.
The market for him may not be particularly lucrative for the Raiders, but those special teams snaps could certainly be allocated to Tristin McCollum and rookie Dalton Johnson. And if Pola-Mao is going to leave next spring in free agency anyway, Las Vegas could justify getting something for him.
Patrick Graham utilized him effectively at times over the years, and now that he's the defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, perhaps he could run the idea of Pola-Mao up the flagpole there. That's just one idea that comes to mind; I'm sure other teams could use a player like him.
But Stukes' rapid emergence as an every-snap player and the Raiders' neglect to find a single situation in which they felt putting the Pola-Mao into the game was the right call set off some alarm signals, and it is possible that the Silver and Black just don't need Pola-Mao anymore.
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