Las Vegas Raiders

Michael Mayer

TE

Mayer has fully recovered from the nose injury that plagued him in early August, but the tight end remained sidelined during Thursday's contest. The 2023 second-rounder joined fellow tight end Brock Bowers on the sideline Thursday, and it appears unlikely he will play any more snaps until the regular season commences.

Ashton Jeanty

RB

With Kirk Cousins, Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers also resting, Jeanty's absence is a good sign for his regular-season workload. Backup running back Mike Washington broke off a long run for the second time in as many preseason games, but it's unclear if he'll be a significant part of the offense come Week 1 against Miami.

Fernando Mendoza

QB

On that subject, Kubiak noted "we got another week. I don't want anyone to be comfortable in their job...it should always be that way for all positions. So, let's keep going." To this point, the signs have been pointing to Cousins opening the regular season as the starter, and he was among his team's key players who watched Thursday's preseason game against the Texans from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Mendoza played the entire first half of the contest, completing eight of 15 passes for 86 yards and an interception on five drives. It remains to be seen when Kubiak will announce the Raiders' starting signal-caller, but given where Mendoza was drafted, it's assumed that the Indiana product will rise to the top of the Raiders' depth chart eventually, though that ascent seems likely to follow a stint as Cousins' understudy.

Matt Gay

PK

Gay outperformed rookie Kansei Matsuzawa in the Raiders' second preseason game, as Matsuzawa didn't attempt a field goal but converted only one of three PAT tries. Gay has been the favorite from the outset of Vegas' kicker competition thanks to the 32-year-old's edge in experience, and Thursday's results should help further tip the scales in his favor.

Malik Benson

WR

Benson's stock had been on the rise thanks to a strong training camp in which he earned opportunities with the first-team offense, but the 2026 sixth-round pick produced a dud in Vegas' second preseason game. He struggled to get on the same page with fellow rookie Fernando Mendoza, and one of their incompletions was an ugly Benson drop on third down in the second quarter, which resulted in the Raiders punting rather than moving the chains. Benson still has an opportunity to carve out a substantial role in Vegas' wide receiver room, and he'll look to bounce back in next Thursday's preseason finale against the 49ers.

Mike Washington Jr.

RB

Washington has churned out an impressive 119 yards on 15 carries through two preseason games, averaging a robust 7.9 yards per carry thanks to a 56-yard run against the Cardinals in the previous game and a 33-yard run Thursday against the Texans. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Arkansas has shown nice burst in establishing himself as the favorite to back up Ashton Jeanty heading into Vegas' preseason finale against the 49ers next Thursday.

Jalen Nailor

WR

Nailor was the target on Fernando Mendoza's first two passes, the second of which produced their 22-yard connection. Mendoza looked elsewhere with his third pass of the game, which resulted in a pick-six, and the rookie quarterback went back in the veteran receiver's direction with the first pass of Vegas' second possession. Nailor signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Raiders in the offseason, and the former Vikings wideout appears poised to open the season as a starter in a wide receiver room without an established pecking order.

Kirk Cousins

QB

All signs continue to point to Cousins being under center for the Raiders in Week 1 against the Dolphins. As Cousins was given the night off with a host of other presumed starters, No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza was in uniform and had a night to forget, as he completed just eight of 15 passes for 86 yards (5.7 YPA), including a pick-six on his first series.

Chigozie Anusiem

CB

The cornerback did not record a stat before exiting. Anusiem appeared in three games and on 54 special-teams snaps for Las Vegas in 2025, and he is fighting for a roster spot in 2026.

Buddy Johnson

LB

The linebacker recorded one solo tackle before exiting. Johnson is likely to see the majority of his action on special teams if he garners a roster spot, the role he's primarily served in throughout his NFL career.

Justin Pickett

G

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Dont'e Thornton Jr.

WR

questionable

Brennan Jackson

LB

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Jermod McCoy

CB

Noah Brown

WR

Brown suffered a litany of injuries throughout the 2025 season, playing just four games. The wide receiver battled groin and knee issues before succumbing to injured reserve in mid-December with a rib injury. The four regular-season games Brown could play in resulted in five receptions (on 10 targets) for 83 yards. The 30-year-old is now healthy and ready to prove himself to a Raiders team that has a wide-open depth chart at wide receiver.

Folorunso Fatukasi

DT

Fatukasi worked out with the Giants in late July but waited through training camp to sign with an organization. The veteran defensive tackle now joins the Raiders, looking to provide some depth on the interior defensive line. Fatukasi slots in behind Tonka Hemingway, Benito Jones and Brandon Cleveland. However, he Jets' 2018 sixth-rounder is likely just a preseason addition to bolster the rotation for next Thursday's game against the Texans.

Jack Bech

WR

All three of Bech's catches came in the first half, with his last resulting in a six-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins. Bech led all wide receivers with 22 offensive snaps, and a strong rapport with Cousins would help the former's case for the WR3 job, with his main competition coming from Dont'e Thornton, Dareke Young and rookie sixth-rounder Malik Benson. Bech and the Raiders will hit the road for their next preseason game against the Texans this Thursday.

Brock Bowers

TE

The Raiders' other starters, including QB Kirk Cousins and RB Ashton Jeanty, continued to play throughout the opening drive. Not that this needed reinforcement, but the early exit is yet another sign of Bowers' massive importance to the Las Vegas offense. We may not see him again until Week 1 against Miami.

Tre Tucker

WR

Tucker opened the game with the rest of the Raiders' projected offensive starters and showed some solid chemistry with Kirk Cousins, recording 16- and five-yard grabs on an opening possession that was capped by Michael Mayer's 13-yard touchdown catch. Tucker tuned up for his projected No. 1 receiver role in 2026 by posting a career-best season a year ago, furnishing a 57-696-5 line across 17 regular-season games.

Keyron Crawford

DE

Crawford was unable to practice Monday due to an undisclosed injury but he was back in action Tuesday. The linebacker appears to be on track to serve as a top reserve option at weakside linebacker this season, and he'll make his Raiders debut in the team's preseason opener Thursday against the Cardinals.

Caleb Rogers

G

Rogers was unavailable for practice Monday while tending to an undisclosed injury but was back in action one day later. The offensive lineman was a third round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he's on track to serve as a reserve option behind starters Spencer Burford and Jackson Powers-Johnson at offensive guard this season.

Dare Ogunbowale

RB

After a four-year run in Houston, Ogunbowale will head to Las Vegas and will battle for a backup running back job in training camp and the preseason. The 32-year-old has averaged just 3.4 yards per carry for his career, but he's been serviceable on passing downs and has found a spot on NFL rosters each of the past nine seasons mainly because of his contributions on special teams. In Las Vegas, Ogunbowale looks set to compete with third-year player Dylan Laube and undrafted rookie Roman Hemby for the third spot on the depth chart behind Ashton Jeanty and fourth-round rookie Mike Washington.

Chris Myarick

TE

Myarick missed the cut for Miami's 53-man roster in 2025, but he's now getting another chance to compete with a new club. At a minimum, he will probably be able to handle some of the practice reps voided by Michael Mayer as he deals with a nose injury.

Chris Collier

RB

Collier will return to the Raiders after being waived/injured by the team Friday, and he is now set to spend the entirety of the 2026 campaign on IR unless the two sides reach an injury settlement down the road. Collier spent the entirety of the 2025 season with the Raiders' practice squad, and he may now be forced to shift his sights to a return to the field in 2027.

Adam Butler

DT