New coach, big free agency splash, and a star center secured. See how the Las Vegas Raiders stack up in the latest power rankings after their offseason moves.
The Las Vegas Raiders are undergoing a complete overhaul, essentially.
It began with Pete Carroll being fired, and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak chosen to be the next head coach.
Kubiak revamped the staff, which was expected, and free agency began with a bang for Las Vegas.
The Raiders agreed to deals with nearly 10 players on the first day of the legal tampering period, and things got even more wild when the Baltimore Ravens decided to back out of the Maxx Crosby trade, which means Crosby is still in Las Vegas.
The home-run signing was Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, which will make future QB Fernando Mendoza very happy.
Eric Edholm of NFL.com had some new power rankings as free agency has slowed down, and the Raiders are still low, although Edholm said he is encouraged by the moves.
The Raiders are at No. 29, and they are ahead of the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, in that order.
"They’ll need another receiver and OL help on offense, and the defense could use some more bulk up front and talent in the secondary. This is no quick fix, but I am fairly encouraged by the early stages of the offseason."
The Raiders are far from done, and all signs point to Indiana Hoosiers star and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza being the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Raiders do have work to do still, and adding a receiver in the draft makes a lot of sense, although they might've been thinking about that with the Ravens' first-round pick from the now-failed Crosby trade.
The Raiders finished with three wins this past season, and it is going to be a tough road as they try to gain ground in the AFC West standings, especially with the rest of the division loading up all around.
Keep one thing in mind: This is only March. The NFL Draft still has to take place, and a lot can change in the matter of a few months.
On the other hand, the Raiders looked like a giant trainwreck at the end of December, so hiring Kubiak, signing Linderbaum and others, and still having Crosby as well as owning the top draft pick means there are a lot of reasons for optimism in Sin City.
Let's see if the Raiders can improve in the win column in 2026.