The Las Vegas Raiders may be the most improved roster after the offseason, but the organization could have done more to add another weapon to the offense.
The Las Vegas Raiders had an incredible offseason filled with great free agency signings (and re-signings) as well as draft picks to become a much-improved roster heading into 2026.
After firing the dysfunctional coaching staff throughout the season, the Raiders started its offseason on the right track by hiring Super Bowl champion offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to be the team’s next head coach. Kubiak brought in some highly-respected coaches to join his staff as well, coaches that know what they are doing.
That good energy led into a great free agency, and the Raiders made sure to make good use of having the second-most salary cap space in the National Football League by signing several high-end free agents, including center Tyler Linderbaum and linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell doesn’t think these were the team’s best signings though. His favorite offseason move was Las Vegas re-signing cornerback Eric Stokes.
The Raiders took a shot on Stokes and signed him to a one-year deal after it didn’t work out with the Green Bay Packers. Stokes repaid the favor by playing outstanding defense in coverage.
“Stokes gave up a 77.7 passer rating in coverage last season despite playing behind the league's seventh-worst pressure rate,” Barnwell wrote Thursday. “Crucially, Stokes stayed healthy enough to play 16 of 17 games.”
He earned himself a nice three-year, $30 million contract to be an anchor for the back end of the secondary.
On the other hand, Barnwell thinks Las Vegas’ worst offseason move was not getting a better offensive weapon than WR Jalen Nailor.
The offense was upgraded tremendously at quarterback and offensive line, but failed to bring in a bigger fish at WR than Nailor. Nailor isn’t a bad player, but with how much money the Raiders had and the questionable depth after tight end Brock Bowers, it doesn’t seem like enough to Barnwell.
“Sure, they return Brock Bowers, downfield threat Tre Tucker and a pair of 2025 top-115 picks in Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr., but we saw how limited this offense was when Bowers was compromised by his knee injury,” Barnwell explained. “With [Fernando] Mendoza coming in as the No. 1 pick, it seemed likely that the Raiders would consider adding multiple new starters at wide receiver.”
There is still time to add to the receiving corps, but the position could have been solved in the early days of free agency or through the draft. Barnwell suspects that it’s possible general manager John Spytek would have looked into using a premium pick on a receiver had the Maxx Crosby trade went through, but we will never know.
Still, the Raiders have killed the offseason this year and have built a strong foundation on paper moving forward.
