HENDERSON, Nev. --- The Las Vegas Raiders ' 2026 training camp runs from July 29 to Aug.
29 at the Intermountain Health Performance Center. The months leading up to training camp have been anything but quiet for Las Vegas.
The Raiders made another change at head coach, replacing Pete Carroll with Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Maxx Crosby was a Baltimore Raven for four days until the trade fell apart and the All-Pro edge rusher found himself back in silver and black.
They spent more money than any team in the league during free agency, most notably on Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum , who became the highest-paid player at his position. Above everything, Las Vegas selected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No.
1 pick of the 2026 NFL draft , setting up an intriguing training camp battle between him and veteran Kirk Cousins . The Raiders have tried and failed at rebuilds in the past.
But there's a sense within the building they finally have a strong plan in place. Here's a closer look at what we are watching at camp: How soon will Mendoza start?
This question will hover over the franchise throughout training camp. The Raiders have made it clear that they are not in a rush to hand Mendoza the keys to the offense.
During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Cousins played mostly with the first team. Meanwhile, Mendoza split second- and third-team reps with Aidan O'Connell .
The expectation is for Cousins to begin the season as the starter. If the Raiders are playing well with Cousins under center, that could delay Mendoza's starting debut.
If Las Vegas is struggling five to six games into the season or Cousins is not living up to expectations, it would make sense for the Raiders to turn to Mendoza. Las Vegas' coaching staff was impressed with Mendoza during the team's spring practices.
At the same time, the coaches understand that Mendoza still has a ton of work to do, and they won't throw him out there until he is more comfortable with the system and playing under center. Three players to watch WR Jalen Nailor .
After playing alongside star wide receiver Justin Jefferson in Minnesota for four seasons, Nailor has a chance to blossom with the Raiders. The depth at wide receiver is one of the biggest question marks, which could mean Nailor sees an uptick in production after recording a career-high 444 receiving yards last season.
RT DJ Glaze . Glaze stepped back in 2025.
He gave up 70 pressures and 16 sacks over 598 pass-block snaps. However, the Raiders didn't add another right tackle in free agency, and Kubiak likes having continuity at the tackle spots, with Glaze and Kolton Miller .
With Rick Dennison as the offensive line coach, the team believes they can get better production from Glaze. EDGE Maxx Crosby .
Crosby has said on multiple occasions that he feels great and is ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason knee surgery . He didn't participate during the offseason program, but the Raiders are hopeful that he will be ready to go by the start of training camp.
Throughout Crosby's career, he has rarely come off the field even if he was battling an injury. With the addition of Kwity Paye and re-signing Malcolm Koonce , Las Vegas might consider limiting his snap count so it can continue to get the best of his prime years.
Key position battles Cornerback No. 2: Porter started in 10 of 17 games as a rookie.
But he is not guaranteed to be a starter in Year 2. Kubiak expects rookie cornerback Jermod McCoy to be a full participant during training camp after he was limited during the offseason program to rehab from a knee injury.
If that's the case, McCoy could very well beat out Porter to play outside cornerback on the opposite side of Eric Stokes . Guard: Jackson Powers-Johnson and Spencer Burford received most of the first-team reps during the team's offseason program.
But watch out for second-year offensive lineman Caleb Rogers to create serious competition. Las Vegas might figure out its starting offensive line early in camp so the unit can continue to develop continuity.
Kicker: The Raiders didn't bring back All-Pro Daniel Carlson after he posted his lowest field goal percentage (81.5%) since his rookie year in 2018. Now, they are hoping that veteran Matt Gay or undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa can take over.
Gay isn't much of an upgrade from Carlson, having posted a field goal percentage of 73.9% in 2025. Matsuzawa, a Japan native, has an interesting story .
He taught h