Wings roll past Fever in preseason matchup behind Paige Bueckers' 20 first-half points
Wings roll past Fever 95-80 in preseason, Bueckers shines with 20 points
The Las Vegas Raiders are preparing for the 2026 NFL season with a projected 53-man roster following 10 draft picks and 18 undrafted free agent signings. Key focus areas include the defensive backs, as four draft picks were allocated to that position group.
Mentioned in this story
HENDERSON, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 10: Klint Kubiak (L) and general manager John Spytek of the Las Vegas Raiders attend a news conference introducing Kubiak as the head coach of the Raiders at the Las Vegas Raiders Headquarters/Intermountain Health Performance Center on February 10, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Las Vegas Raiders are a long way away from having to make the final 53-man roster decision, and currently have a small army after making 10 picks in the 2026 NFL draft, signing 18 undrafted free agents and inviting a handful of players to rookie minicamp. But the conclusion of the draft gives us an opportunity to get an early look at who will be entering training camp on the roster bubble, and thatâs going to be especially significant with the defensive backs after John Sptyek used four out of his 10 picks on the position group.
Starter: Kirk Cousins
Backup: Fernando Mendoza (R), Aidan OâConnell
Cut: Sawyer Robertson (R), Jacob Clark (R)
The biggest question at quarterback is: When does Mendoza take over as the starter? That should happen eventually, but right now, Cousins is expected to be the Raidersâ QB1. Then, itâs a matter of whether the coaching staff wants to keep three quarterbacks and if thatâs OâConnell or one of the undrafted rookies. Considering heâs entering a contract year, it wouldnât be surprising if AOC gets traded to a team thatâs looking for a backup.
The projected roster includes players selected in the 2026 NFL draft and undrafted free agents, focusing on key positions like defensive backs.
The Raiders made 10 picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Kirk Cousins is projected to be the starting quarterback for the Raiders in 2026.
The Raiders prioritized defensive backs, using four of their 10 draft picks on that position group.
Wings roll past Fever 95-80 in preseason, Bueckers shines with 20 points
Curt Cignetti leads Indiana to historic national title, pressuring other coaches.
Caitlin Clark leaves preseason game against Wings with ankle injury
Analyst suggests Zion Young may outperform Mike Green for Ravens
Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever lose 95-80 to Dallas Wings in preseason game.
Cole Wisniewski is gaining attention as a potential standout for the Eagles defense.
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
Starter: Ashton Jeanty
Backups: Mike Washington Jr., Connor Heyward (FB), Dylan Laube
Cut: Chris Collier, Roman Henby (R)
Klint Kubiak has his two-back system in place with Jeanty and Washington leading the charge, and Heyward will be the lead blocker out of the backfield. Meanwhile, it feels like Laube is entering a ânow or neverâ type of season, needing to prove himself heading into year three. His competition is less with the other running backs on the roster, where his primary focus should be on winning the kick and/or punt return duties.
3-Wide: Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech
Backups: Dareke Young, Malik Benson (R)
Cut: Dontâe Thornton Jr., Phillip Dorsett II, Shedrick Jackson, Brenden Rice, E.J. Williams Jr. (R), Chase Roberts (R)
I went with â3-wideâ here since the âstartersâ at wide receiver can vary from week to week depending on how much 12-, 21- and 22-personnel Kubiak has in the game plan. Also, there is an assumption here that the Raiders will only keep five receivers, which can change by the time we get to training camp. If six are rostered, Thornton is the prime candidate to get bumped up.
To be honest, though, the distinction between the âbackupsâ and âcutâ receivers is about as pure a guess as possible. This is a position group that lacks talent heading into the season, where anyone can make a name for themselves and earn a roster spot over the summer. So, the 2025 fourth-round pick should be on high alert and needs to step up in year two.
2-Tight: Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer
Backups: Ian Thomas, Carter Runyon
Cut: Albert Okwuegbunam Jr., Matt Lauter (R)
It will be interesting to see how many tight ends Kubiak wants to roster, especially since fullback Connor Hewyard has some experience playing in-line. If itâs only three, Runyon would get bumped down to âcutâ right now, though he could easily take Thomasâ spot. It also wouldnât be surprising if another veteran is added to the position group ahead of training camp.
Starters: Kolton Miller, Caleb Rogers, Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze
Backups: Charles Grant, Trey Zuhn III (R), Spencer Burford, Jordan Meredith
Cut: Atonio Mafi, Will Putnam, Layden Robinson, Isaiah Jatta (R), Curtis McClendon
The two starting guard spots are very much up for grabs. Granted, Powers-Johnson is the heavy favorite to land one of those jobs, but Rogers, Zuhn, Burford and Meredith will certainly be duking it out. The latter two are the more likely cut candidates if someone else on the bubble steps up.
Starters: Jonah Laulu, JJ Pegues, Thomas Booker IV
Backups: Adam Butler, Brandon Cleveland (R), Tonka Hemingway
Cut: Laki Tasi (IPP), Gary Smith III (R), Brodric Martin, Treven Maâae
All three starting spots at defensive end/tackle are up for grabs, especially if the Raiders are moving to an odd front. While Pegues is listed as the starting nose tackle right now, thatâs extremely fluid, as heâll have to fend off Cleveland, Smith, Martin and Tasi. That could give Smith the best chance of Las Vegasâ UDFAs to make the roster. At the end/tackle spots, it feels like Laulu is the top dog and Hemingway has a good chance to start by beating out Booker.
If youâre wondering why Tasi is listed here instead of offensive line, where he played last year, The Athleticâs Sam Warren recently noticed that the former rugby player was working with the defensive tackles during the early stages of offseason workouts. He originally signed as a defensive lineman last spring.
Starters: Maxx Crosby, Kwity Paye
Backups: Malcolm Koonce, Keyron Crawford (R), Charles Snowden
Cut: Brennan Jackson, Jahfari Harvey
Baring a trade, where Koonce would be the most-likely candidate, it seems like there shouldnât be much drama at edge. Maybe Jackson or Harvey beats out Snowden for a roster spot, but the latter logged nine starts and was a solid run defender last season.
Tommy Eichenberg
Starters: Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker
Backups: Tommy Eichenberg, Cody Lindenberg
Cut: Segun Olubi, Jamin Davis, Xavian Sorey Jr. (R)
Weâll see how many off-ball linebackers the coaching staff keeps, as that could depend on how many edge defenders get rostered. Olubi has a good chance to make the team since heâs a special teamer, and while The Bergs were one of my winners from the draft, they still shouldnât feel safe. Eichenberg and Linderberg are the favorites to make the team, but no one is safe outside of the two free agent signings.
Starting nickel personnel: Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, Taron Johnson
Backups: Jermod McCoy (R), Hezekiah Masses (R)
Cut: Decamerion Richardson, Chigozie Anusiem, Greedy Vance
Richardson is the cornerback thatâs feeling the heat the most. Heâs purely an outside corner, and the front office just added two competitors at that spot in the draft. That being said, this could end up being a âredshirt yearâ for McCoy, where he gets placed on the NFI list to begin camp and takes a year to recover from the reported second knee surgery that he needs. Even so, Richardson could still be in trouble if Masses plays well in camp and Vance proves to be a valuable nickel option.
Starters: Jeremy Chinn, Treydan Stukes (R)
Backups: Isaiah Pola-Mao, Dalton Johnson (R)
Cut: Tristin McCollum, Tanner Wall (R)
It will be interesting to see what the coaching staffâs plan is for Stukes, as he can also play nickel. If thatâs the case, then the math at safety changes and Pola-Mao will be back in the starting lineup. But if the second-round pick takes over at free safety, IPM could go from starting 31 games over the last two seasons to looking for a job.
Cut: Kansei Matsuzawa (R), Tyler Duzansky
Normally, Iâd say âwho cares?â when it comes to the specialists. However, only Cole is safe as the Raiders will have position battles at kicker and long snapper! I wish I could tell you that I have some sort of read on this, but to be honest, Iâm just rooting for âThe Tokoyo Toeâ because thatâs an elite nickname. It also helps that he went 27-for-29 on field goal attemps and a perfect 40-for-40 on PATs last season.