There’s a lot to be excited for when it comes to the future of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ offense. New head coach Klint Kubiak was one of the best offensive playcallers in the NFL last season, and the team drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick.
That’s not to mention that running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers are two of the most dynamic playmakers in the NFL at their positions. However, the group is still a major work in progress.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked every team’s running back, wide receiver and tight end groups. He had the Raiders ranked all the way down at 26.
“There are two exciting young players here, although neither had great 2025 seasons. Tight end Brock Bowers was limited and then sidelined by a knee issue, but we still saw glimpses of the player who terrorized the league as a rookie,” Barnwell wrote. “And running back Ashton Jeanty failed to live up to expectations after coming into the league as a top-10 pick. There’s no question that Jeanty was let down by a dismal offensive infrastructure, but he also struggled to run through NFL tackles in short-yardage situations and made some unforced mistakes. I’m still optimistic we’ll see something close to the Boise State version of Jeanty in 2026, but it’s also fair to be a little nervous.”
Wide Receiver Is a Big Concern
Bowers is arguably already the best tight end in the NFL, and Jeanty should be significantly better in Kubiak’s offense with Tyler Linderbaum at center. The real concern with the Raiders’ offense is at wide receiver.
Barnwell likes a couple of their pieces, but blamed the wide receiver position for them being ranked so low.
“Even if Bowers and Jeanty live up to expectations, though, there’s just not much to be excited about at wide receiver,” Barnwell added. “Jalen Nailor has been solid as a third option for the Vikings, but he’s stretched into a starting role here. Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. did little in their debut seasons, with the latter averaging a scarcely believable 0.6 yards per route run. Tre Tucker’s a solid deep option and could play the Rashid Shaheed role in Klint Kubiak’s offense, but if the WRs produce at all, the most likely reasons would expect to be products of the scheme and better quarterback play.”
Raiders Have a Lot to Prove
The thing with the Raiders’ wide receiver room is that it does have a lot of potential. Tre Tucker stepped last season and should only be better. Jack Bech was a second-round pick a year ago. Dont’e Thornton is a freak athlete. Jalen Nailor could be much better in a bigger role.
If one or two of those players can take a big leap this season, the Raiders have a chance to be solid at wide receiver. With how good Bowers is, he can effectively be the No. 1 wide receiver. The Raiders’ offense has to prove it can succeed after being the worst in the NFL last season, but the potential is there.
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