The 2026 Las Vegas Raiders season feels different already. They fired Pete Carroll after a 3-14 season and brought in Klint Kubiak as head coach to usher in structure, identity, and discipline, words that have felt foreign to Raider Nation for far too long.
This hire matters because the Raiders are not just rebuilding. They are redefining what this team is going to be, with an actual plan attached.
Now let’s get real about what that means for this team’s roster, that coveted No. 1 overall pick, and how Klint Kubiak might actually align everything into something resembling competition.
Geno Smith Is the Bridge but Not the Future
Geno Smith remains the Raiders’ starting quarterback heading into the 2026 season. That’s not speculation. That’s the depth chart.
Smith played the entirety of 2025 as the face of a passing attack that often lacked rhythm, timing, and run-pass balance. Now under Kubiak’s system, the question is:
Can Geno operate within structure and elevate this offense, or is he merely the bridge to the real future?
Kubiak’s offense is demanding on quarterbacks. It is timing-based with emphasis on play action, defined reads, and rhythm. This system does not reward improvisation as much as it rewards discipline.
Smith is experienced, savvy, and capable of executing within structure if protection is solid and the run game exists. But will he last all season as the starter? That is far from guaranteed — especially with the No. 1 overall pick looming.
He is a bridge — and a stabilizer — but drafting a premier quarterback is still on the table.
The No. 1 Overall Pick and Fernando Mendoza Sweepstakes
The Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft — their first time doing so since 2007.
That alone changes everything.
The name most associated with the top spot is Fernando Mendoza, a highly touted quarterback prospect with physical traits and system adaptability that NFL evaluators love.
The debate around this pick is real. Some analysts have suggested wild alternatives, including trade scenarios or reaching for other quarterback talent — including voices calling for veteran options like potential unretirement talks — but the realistic and dominant narrative is that the Raiders will either:
- Use the pick on Mendoza
- Use the pick on another quarterback — possibly a similar top talent
- Trade down for more assets if they believe Geno can hold the job
Which direction the Raiders choose will determine the identity of this franchise for years.
Picking Mendoza would signal long-term commitment to structure, timing, and disciplined quarterback play — exactly the DNA Kubiak wants.
Failing to pick a QB at No. 1 would be one of the boldest moves in franchise history.
The Current Offense: Jeanty Centers the Identity
Let’s talk about the real offense as it stands.
At running back, the Raiders have Ashton Jeanty as the starter, coming off his rookie year. Depth charts list Jeanty as RB1 with support from Zamir White and Raheem Mostert.
Jeanty is perfectly built for Kubiak’s scheme.
Outside zone running is about patience, vision, and cutting decisively into space when the blocks form. Jeanty showed flashes of that instinct last year — pressing laterally before exploding north-south. In Kubiak’s system, a back like Jeanty doesn’t need explosive one-cut speed.
He needs structure and consistency.
This offense will run through Jeanty first, and then exploit the play action that comes from defenses needing to respect him.
If Jeffery Jeanty can serve as the engine of the offense — forcing defenders to respect the run — then everything else opens up.
Receivers Are Deep but Lack a True Alpha
Looking at the Raiders receiving corps, it is solid but not elite.
The 2025 depth chart was a mix of veterans and youngsters:
• Dont’e Thornton Jr.
• Tre Tucker
• Jack Bech
• Alex Bachman
• Shedrick Jackson
• Tyler Lockett at times
All of them were featured targets at various points last season.
No one in that group demands single-coverage respect week in, week out.
That is a challenge in this offense.
Kubiak’s system will likely ask receivers to work 10–20 yard patterns, free off-coverage, and create separation for timing throws. These are not casual concepts — they are fundamental requirements.
The question becomes:
Can this group deliver crisp timing with Geno?
Or will the Raiders need to chase perimeter talent in free agency or via the draft?
Tight End Weaponization: Brock Bowers Is the X-Factor
Probably the most exciting piece this offense does have is Brock Bowers.
Bowers is the kind of mismatched weapon that thrives in play action schemes. Sell the run, freeze the linebacker, and then hit the seam or leak into open grass.
Kubiak’s offense loves tight ends who can block and run intermediate routes — and Bowers is exactly that.
When you have a weapon like Bowers — someone defenses must account for every snap — you suddenly have leverage on every down. That alone changes reads for quarterbacks and simplifies progression.
If Geno or a future rookie can operate with rhythm, Bowers becomes the centerpiece this offense was missing.
Offensive Line: The Unsung Make-or-Break Unit
You can scheme all you want, but if the offensive line can’t protect and move laterally, this offense stalls.
Zone-heavy schemes are not about pure power. They are about angles and movement.
That is a hard transition for teams that have historically relied on stop-gap approaches.
The Raiders offensive line — anchored by a combination of Dylan Parham, Alex Cappa, DJ Glaze and others on the 2025 roster — must be more athletic and synchronized.
If they are not, defenses will feast on timing disruptions and pressure.
This season’s draft and free agency decisions for the offensive line will be head-scratchers if Raider Nation cares about rhythm more than flash.
Defense Still Needs an Identity
The defense remains a work in progress.
There has been noise about Maxx Crosby and his future with the Raiders — including rumors and reports that Crosby might want out.
That is critical because Crosby is the one true superstar on that side of the ball.
If he stays, this defense can hunt with more aggression. If he goes — either by trade or mutual parting — the Raiders will need to recalibrate their edge rushing strategy entirely.
The front seven will need a clear identity if the Raiders want complementary football — meaning sustained drives on offense and resets on defense.
Kubiak’s offensive philosophy helps the defense by controlling possession — but the defense still must generate stops.
This offseason’s moves on the defensive front will be just as important as the draft.
AFC West Is Brutal
Nobody in this division makes it easy.
The Raiders must compete against disciplined offenses and physical defenses year in and year out.
That means consistency and execution are not optional.
The Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos are aggressive, prepared units.
You can’t out-yell these teams.
You must out-scheme them and execute.
Raiders Draft Strategy Must Match Philosophy
This is where everything converges.
If the Raiders draft Mendoza or another QB at No. 1, it signals commitment to long term structure.
If they do not, it signals they believe Geno can stabilize and that roster upgrades elsewhere abound.
The pick at No. 1 is not just talent acquisition.
It is identity selection.
Will this team commit to timing, discipline, and structure?
Or will they chase flash again?
Raider Nation Should Watch These Indicators
Here’s how you will know whether the Raiders are moving in the right direction:
• Run game consistency — Is Jeanty pounding the ball effectively?
• Quarterback rhythm — Is Smith (or a rookie) operating within tempo and timing?
• Tight end production — Does Bowers carve defenses open?
• Offensive line movement — Can the line sustain motion and protect?
• Draft alignment — Does the No. 1 pick reflect system needs?
These are the real indicators.
Not points. Not hype.
Identity.
Klint Kubiak is Good for The Raiders
The Raiders are finally building something that feels like a plan.
Whether that plan leads to immediate success is not guaranteed. But the fact that this franchise is no longer chasing flash and has pivoted toward discipline is a seismic shift.
With Geno Smith as a bridge, Ashton Jeanty as the engine, Brock Bowers as a weapon, and a No. 1 overall pick hanging in the balance, this feels like a direction, not a mood.
And Raider Nation is starved for direction.
Now we watch.
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