2026 Las Vegas Raiders training camp preview

HENDERSON, Nev. --- The Las Vegas Raiders' 2026 training camp runs from July 29 to Aug. 29 at the Intermountain Health Performance Center.

The months leading up to training camp have been anything but quiet for Las Vegas. The Raiders made another change at head coach, replacing Pete Carroll with Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Maxx Crosby was a Baltimore Raven for four days until the trade fell apart and the All-Pro edge rusher found himself back in silver and black. They spent more money than any team in the league during free agency, most notably on Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who became the highest-paid player at his position.

Above everything, Las Vegas selected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft, setting up an intriguing training camp battle between him and veteran Kirk Cousins.

The Raiders have tried and failed at rebuilds in the past. But there's a sense within the building they finally have a strong plan in place.

Here's a closer look at what we are watching at camp:

How soon will Mendoza start?

This question will hover over the franchise throughout training camp. The Raiders have made it clear that they are not in a rush to hand Mendoza the keys to the offense. During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Cousins played mostly with the first team. Meanwhile, Mendoza split second- and third-team reps withAidan O'Connell.

The expectation is for Cousins to begin the season as the starter. If the Raiders are playing well with Cousins under center, that could delay Mendoza's starting debut. If Las Vegas is struggling five to six games into the season or Cousins is not living up to expectations, it would make sense for the Raiders to turn to Mendoza.

Las Vegas' coaching staff was impressed with Mendoza during the team's spring practices. At the same time, the coaches understand that Mendoza still has a ton of work to do, and they won't throw him out there until he is more comfortable with the system and playing under center.

Three players to watch

WR Jalen Nailor. After playing alongside star wide receiver Justin Jefferson in Minnesota for four seasons, Nailor has a chance to blossom with the Raiders. The depth at wide receiver is one of the biggest question marks, which could mean Nailor sees an uptick in production after recording a career-high 444 receiving yards last season.

RTDJ Glaze.Glaze stepped back in 2025. He gave up 70 pressures and 16 sacks over 598 pass-block snaps. However, the Raiders didn't add another right tackle in free agency, and Kubiak likes having continuity at the tackle spots, with Glaze and Kolton Miller. With Rick Dennison as the offensive line coach, the team believes they can get better production from Glaze.

EDGE Maxx Crosby. Crosby has said on multiple occasions that he feels great and is ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason knee surgery. He didn't participate during the offseason program, but the Raiders are hopeful that he will be ready to go by the start of training camp. Throughout Crosby's career, he has rarely come off the field even if he was battling an injury. With the addition of Kwity Paye and re-signing Malcolm Koonce, Las Vegas might consider limiting his snap count so it can continue to get the best of his prime years.

Key position battles

Cornerback No. 2: Porter started in 10 of 17 games as a rookie. But he is not guaranteed to be a starter in Year 2. Kubiak expects rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy to be a full participant during training camp after he was limited during the offseason program to rehab from a knee injury. If that's the case, McCoy could very well beat out Porter to play outside cornerback on the opposite side of Eric Stokes.

Guard: Jackson Powers-Johnson and Spencer Burford received most of the first-team reps during the team's offseason program. But watch out for second-year offensive lineman Caleb Rogers to create serious competition. Las Vegas might figure out its starting offensive line early in camp so the unit can continue to develop continuity.

Kicker: The Raiders didn't bring back All-Pro Daniel Carlson after he posted his lowest field goal percentage (81.5%) since his rookie year in 2018. Now, they are hoping that veteran Matt Gay or undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa can take over. Gay isn't much of an upgrade from Carlson, having posted a field goal percentage of 73.9% in 2025. Matsuzawa, a Japan native, has an interesting story. He taught himself how to kick before becoming an All-American at Hawaii.

Keep an eye on: Will the Raiders roster three quarterbacks?

When deciding whether to keep or move on from O'Connell, a fair argument can be made on both sides. By keeping O'Connell, the Raiders will have additional insurance at the position in case Mendoza is further behind than expected. And given his familiarity with the organization, O'Connell can also be a valuable resource in the room.

At the same time, O'Connell believes he can be a long-term starter in the league. That opportunity, however, isn't in Las Vegas. O'Connell played well in the spring. If he can translate that performance to training camp, O'Connell could create value for himself in the trade market. That would be the best-case scenario instead of releasing him at the end of training camp.

Raiders' 53-man roster projection

QB (2):Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza

RB (3):Ashton Jeanty, Mike Washington Jr., Roman Hemby

Jeanty was 25 yards shy of reaching 1,000 yards as a rookie despite the team's struggles at offensive line. With a better offensive system in place and improvement at offensive line, his numbers could increase in Year 2. Kubiak wants Jeanty to be a bell cow running back. If the Raiders want to have success on offense, they will need Jeanty to flourish in that role.

FB (1):Connor Heyward

TE (3):Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas

WR (6):Tre Tucker,Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech,Dont'e Thornton Jr., Malik Benson, Dareke Young

OL (9):Kolton Miller, Spencer Burford, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Charles Grant, Trey Zuhn III,Caleb Rogers, Jordan Meredith

DL (6):Thomas Booker IV, Adam Butler, Benito Jones, Tonka Hemingway, Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues

EDGE (5):Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye, Malcolm Koonce, Keyron Crawford, Cian Slone

ILB (5):Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean, Cody Lindenberg, Tommy Eichenberg, Segun Olubi

This is one of the most improved position groups on the roster. Walker's final season in Green Bay was the best of his career. He totaled 128 tackles, 12 pressures and 10 run stuffs. He also adds versatility up front, as he can line up on the edge if needed. Dean's injury history is a bit concerning. But when healthy, he's productive and can become another leader on defense.

CB (6):Eric Stokes, Taron Johnson, Darien Porter,Jermod McCoy, Hezekiah Masses, Greedy Vance

S (4):Jeremy Chinn, Treydan Stukes, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Dalton Johnson

Stukes has a strong chance to be named a Week 1 starter. His ball skills and closing speed make him best suited for the deep safety role. Stukes had four interceptions, six pass breakups and allowed a completion rate of 26.1% on 23 targets as the primary defender for Arizona in 2025. He also can play nickel, allowing him to alternate with Taron Johnson.

Special teams (3):AJ Cole(P),Matt Gay(PK), Tyler Duzansky(LS)

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