2026 offseason roster/depth chart

signal said:
No matter how this roster shakes out, it isn't going to be the finished product. Spy and Kubiak have a plan. They didn't go into free agency simply looking for players who could help this year; they targeted young, ascending talent that can continue developing over the next several seasons.

I am a bit surprised by how much Spy was able to accomplish in a single offseason. The NFL is a win-now business, and I'm sure Kubiak will have his team ready to fight tooth and nail to win every game this season.

But the reality is that this version of the Raiders is only the first step in the organization's long-term build. They may not be ready to truly contend until 2028.

So if you see holes on the 2026 roster, it's probably because this organization is building toward something bigger and that process isn't finished yet.

For once, the Raiders actually have a plan.
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Nice post.

Taking inventory, what’s likely to happen, and what wishfully could happen on D. I’ll trust in Kubiak to generate O with Jeanty and Bowers.
  • DE Maxx grinds thru another year, or he’s hell bent on having a career year, and does with help from his mates
  • Paye plays good run D but meh pass rush, or Paye becomes a nice Robin, collapsing the edge opposite Maxx, prevents QB from escaping, and cleans up when they run from Maxx
  • Koonce is who he was last year, or Koonce rebounds and becomes the player he flashed as being pre-injury
  • Crawford’s not NFL ready, or Crawford surprises with that juicy first step and causes havoc when on the field.
  • DT Butler again has a workmanlike season, or Butler logs one of his better years
  • Hemingway, Luana, Booker and Pegues muddy thru a season, or one or more of them surprises and we field in effective interior pass rush and run D
  • NT Jones, Cleveland or Smith play poorly, or one of them surprisingly steps up and plays solid run D protecting our LB
  • LB Walker continues to underperform compared to his draft position, or finally consistently plays like a 1st round pick
  • Dean works thru an injury-riddled season, or stays healthy and we field the best LB tandem in decades.
  • CB Stokes, Johnson and Porter start, struggle and McCoy plays little, or McCoy shines upgrading the rest of the unit, which stays healthy.
  • S Stukes is unable to cure Chinn’s and Pola-Mao’s coverage woes, or Stukes and Chinn form a quality duo supplemented by Johnson beating out Pola-Mao.
 
Sleet said:
Nice post.

Taking inventory, what’s likely to happen, and what wishfully could happen on D. I’ll trust in Kubiak to generate O with Jeanty and Bowers.
  • DE Maxx grinds thru another year, or he’s hell bent on having a career year, and does with help from his mates
  • Paye plays good run D but meh pass rush, or Paye becomes a nice Robin, collapsing the edge opposite Maxx, prevents QB from escaping, and cleans up when they run from Maxx
  • Koonce is who he was last year, or Koonce rebounds and becomes the player he flashed as being pre-injury
  • Crawford’s not NFL ready, or Crawford surprises with that juicy first step and causes havoc when on the field.
  • DT Butler again has a workmanlike season, or Butler logs one of his better years
  • Hemingway, Luana, Booker and Pegues muddy thru a season, or one or more of them surprises and we field in effective interior pass rush and run D
  • NT Jones, Cleveland or Smith play poorly, or one of them surprisingly steps up and plays solid run D protecting our LB
  • LB Walker continues to underperform compared to his draft position, or finally consistently plays like a 1st round pick
  • Dean works thru an injury-riddled season, or stays healthy and we field the best LB tandem in decades.
  • CB Stokes, Johnson and Porter start, struggle and McCoy plays little, or McCoy shines upgrading the rest of the unit, which stays healthy.
  • S Stukes is unable to cure Chinn’s and Pola-Mao’s coverage woes, or Stukes and Chinn form a quality duo supplemented by Johnson beating out Pola-Mao.
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I see two "keys" to season- and both are on the lines. Both the offensive and defensive lines have young players, and at least two from each of those units has to become a plus starter. On offense, will JPJ become a mauling guard that will open up running lanes and set a tone for that unit, and will some combo of Glaze, Grant or Zuhn solidify the RT and other guard position.

On D line, one of those four young DTs has to emerge for this defense to improve. They bring different skill sets and hopefully one or more of them will be a solid or above average DT. On edge, Maxx has to sit out snaps- it's that simple- and Paye, Koonce and the rookie need to play well enough to make sure he's not double teamed.
 
PDX Raider said:
I see two "keys" to season- and both are on the lines. Both the offensive and defensive lines have young players, and at least two from each of those units has to become a plus starter. On offense, will JPJ become a mauling guard that will open up running lanes and set a tone for that unit, and will some combo of Glaze, Grant or Zuhn solidify the RT and other guard position.

On D line, one of those four young DTs has to emerge for this defense to improve. They bring different skill sets and hopefully one or more of them will be a solid or above average DT. On edge, Maxx has to sit out snaps- it's that simple- and Paye, Koonce and the rookie need to play well enough to make sure he's not double teamed.
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It's too soon to give up on JPJ being that guy but his concussions are looming large. I view Miller as an average starting LT at his best and it's been a minute since we have seen that.

Crosby, Tyler, Bowers and Jeanty are pieces to build around, the cupboard isn't bare.
 
Desert Rat said:
It's too soon to give up on JPJ being that guy but his concussions are looming large. I view Miller as an average starting LT at his best and it's been a minute since we have seen that.

Crosby, Tyler, Bowers and Jeanty are pieces to build around, the cupboard isn't bare.
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I don't agree with your assessment of Kolton. When healthy, he's definitely above average as far as LT go. JPJ's concussions go back to his college days so that is very problematic. The good thing is that they have some depth on the OL if he goes down again. Most likely Zuhn would step in right away.
 
Birdwell said:
Matter of opinion. It is common for players to "take a big step forward" in year two. Glaze regressed, JPJ did not improve, Rogers and Grant were who they were in college. Second year in a row there was no continuity on who was playing where -- and it was not all injury. Meredith was given the starting C position with no competition, but JPJ had to "compete" for C and both G spots. There is no way anyone could argue that Stone Forsythe outplayed Grant, so not giving Grant even rotational reps (since line continuity didn't matter anyway) was a bad move. One of very many.

Burford is not a presumed starter, just the guy most familiar with the O and will be given an opportunity to win the job, just like Rogers and Zuhn. Only presumed starter among the new guys is Linderburg the C.
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None of that addressed the point, but nonetheless, thank you for the walk down memory lane.

Regarding Burford... If he’s already working with the first unit, knows the system, and doesn’t have a clearly superior challenger, then it’s hard to argue he isn’t the de facto starter. And if he isn't, it negates the idea that the other guys were meaningfully “set back” in any real sense.
 
Madturk said:
I don't agree with your assessment of Kolton. When healthy, he's definitely above average as far as LT go. JPJ's concussions go back to his college days so that is very problematic. The good thing is that they have some depth on the OL if he goes down again. Most likely Zuhn would step in right away.
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I think Kolton is a better pass blocker than a run blocker.
 
DonkeyKilla said:
I think he's borderline elite as a pass protector when healthy but below average run blocker in general.
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Hes below average as a gap run blocker. But he is above average as a seal off zone defender. Really good in space demolishing smaller defenders.
 
Kolton is really good and but drops off a cliff against elite guys. Not that everyone doesn't struggle with better comp, but there are a couple of guys that just destroy him. Barry Simms minus the false starts.
 
I always think of Kolton Miller (15th) vs Derwin James (17th). We needed a safety that year (like we do in most years) but we went with the LT instead. They're both excellent at their respective positions, when healthy of course but I'm still not sure which would have been the better pick.
 
SBNation said:
I always think of Kolton Miller (15th) vs Derwin James (17th). We needed a safety that year (like we do in most years) but we went with the LT instead. They're both excellent at their respective positions, when healthy of course but I'm still not sure which would have been the better pick.
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LT all day, every day.
 
Miller had a false step coming into the draft. Very hard to get rid of unless you work, work, work.

If he hadn't get over that he'd have been out of the league a long time ago.
 
Chris_77 said:
LT all day, every day.
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Always take the above average lt over elite s.

Always take the elite t over elite other positions except qb and edge. Elite qb over everything. Elite pass rusher similar except qbs.
 
Langlier said:
Always take the above average lt over elite s.

Always take the elite t over elite other positions except qb and edge. Elite qb over everything. Elite pass rusher similar except qbs.
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Good take. Charger fans loved to laugh at us for taking Miller over James, but we may have ended up with the better selection.
 
I think James is one of the more overrated players in the league. He's basically a hybrid outside LB and racks up OLB stats that look more impressive because he's listed as a safety. Plus PFF licks his balls.
 
Chris_77 said:
Kolton is really good and but drops off a cliff against elite guys. Not that everyone doesn't struggle with better comp, but there are a couple of guys that just destroy him. Barry Simms minus the false starts.
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Did I ever tell you the time that I sat next to Barry's dad on a flight from Atlanta to Oakland? :chuckle:
 
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