The Las Vegas Raiders greatly improved its roster from top to bottom during free agency and the draft but still need to upgrade the outside wide receiver spot.
The Las Vegas Raiders needed to take a look in the mirror as an organization after a fourth consecutive losing season in which the team went 3-14 and secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 National Football League draft.
The Raiders fired several coaches during the season and capped off the purge by letting head coach Pete Carroll go following the final game of the season, leading to Las Vegas hiring Coach Klint Kubiak after he won the Super Bowl as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks and subsequently revamping the coaching staff.
That was the first major step to rebuilding this team from the ground up and free agency was a great opportunity to bring in players who can help this team now and further down the line, and the Raiders did just that by spending lots of salary cap space on premium free agents.
Las Vegas signed the top free agent center, Tyler Linderbaum, to the largest offensive lineman contract in history and also upgraded several defensive positions like linebacker by bringing in Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.
Offensively, the Raiders signed wide receiver Jalen Nailor because of how weak the receiving corps is (no offense Tre Tucker and co.), but the position still lacks a great outside presence.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz put together a list of every team’s biggest remaining roster hole following free agency and the draft, and Las Vegas needs an outside wide receiver.
“The Raiders have wide receivers, but no one is established as a No. 1 option,” Schatz wrote Thursday. “(Yes, their No. 1 receiver is tight end Brock Bowers, but it is still good to have somebody drawing attention outside.) Tre Tucker is going into his fourth season and had 57 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns last season, but he also had a score of just 29 out of 100 in the ESPN receiver scores.
“Jack Bech (20 catches for 224 yards) and Dont'e Thornton Jr. (10 catches for 135 yards) underwhelmed in their rookie seasons. Dareke Young had just four receptions in four seasons with Seattle before signing with Las Vegas this offseason, and rookie Malik Benson is a sixth-round pick.”
Bowers doesn’t count, although he is an absolute beast when it comes to being a premier target for his quarterback. Speaking of quarterback, perhaps Las Vegas’ biggest upgrade during the offseason was shipping QB Geno Smith back to the New York Jets and drafting Indiana QB and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza at No. 1.
But, Mendoza can’t only throw to Bowers and while Tucker had a decent showing last season, there isn’t enough there to be completely sold on the receiving room. Bech and Thornton should get extended looks this year, but bringing in a proven outside threat would benefit Mendoza greatly.