Top 10 Las Vegas Raiders Players Going Into the 2025-26 Season

Brock Bowers was a superstar in college and he hasn't skipped a beat in the NFL. Bowers may already have a legitimate case to be the best tight end in the league. He had 1,194 yards, which led the league in yards among all tight ends.

Bowers also set multiple NFL records, which include most receptions and most receiving yards for a rookie tight end. He made the Pro Bowl and was named First Team All-Pro. The most impressive part of it all was the fact that the Raiders were starting Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew at quarterback. In other words, Brock Bowers may not even be scratching the surface of his full potential.

Maxx Crosby has been nothing short of excellent. Arguably one of the top 10 players in the league. He's put up impressive numbers and has carried the Raiders defense for years. He had incredible numbers in both 2022 and 2023.

Unfortunately, his 2024 statistics didn't quite live up to expectations. He was dealing with a nagging ankle injury and missed a few games at the end of the season because of it. He has several accomplishments to his credit, including four consecutive Pro Bowls and two Second Team All-Pro selections. Crosby is an elite EDGE rusher and one of the few players who can still produce in spite of the Raiders being a bad team. It is safe to say that he'll be in the silver and black for the foreseeable future. They did extend his contract recently, and justifiably so.

The Raiders desperately needed a spark of some sort on offense. The rest of the AFC West has basically become an arms race and Las Vegas needed to do something to keep up with the Joneses. Jeanty looks to be the promising headline star running back the Raiders have been looking for. He will definitely be the workhorse running back, getting the majority of the reps.

He is coming off an excellent season at Boise State, rushing for 2,601 total yards and scoring 29 touchdowns. He nearly set the NCAA rushing record and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. If you're a Raiders fan, you have to be ecstatic about Ashton Jeanty.

Christian Wilkins was one of the top defensive tackles on the market last offseason. Unfortunately, his 2024 season was cut short after a foot injury in Week 5.

Prior to that injury, Wilkins had been very healthy and consistent on the field. He put together a few solid seasons for Miami. Hopefully, he returns to form after his injury. He's a decent run defender and pass rusher. He is a dynamic force the Raiders need to bolster their defensive line. Wilkins has so far been great up to now.

The Raiders found a new quarterback in Geno Smith. He is probably not their long-term plan, but he's fine as a bridge quarterback until they find their guy. Geno Smith has been around for a while and has been considered a very middle-of-the-road quarterback.

He did revive his career over the past couple of seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, with two of the last three seasons reaching over 4,000 passing yards and three straight years of 20 or more touchdowns. At his best, Geno is an above-average quarterback. But he can also throw interceptions and make poor decisions at the worst times. Given the Raiders' situation currently, he's the best option available for now.

With both Hunter Renfrow and Davante Adams out of the picture, Jakobi Meyers has been the main focus and has taken over the majority of the workload. He did have over 1,000 yards last season. He's definitely talented and isn't a bad fantasy football option, although I'm not convinced he's a true wide receiver one.

I feel like he's on the fence, either a low-end WR1 or a high-end WR2. Simply put, he's good, but he's not going to blow the doors off anybody. But who else are the Raiders going to throw to besides Bowers?

Jeremy Chinn is a solid addition to the secondary. The Raiders needed a Tre'von Moehrig replacement and Jeremy Chinn should be the answer to the need at safety. He's coming off an outstanding season in Washington, where they made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.

He finished the 2024 season with 73 solo tackles and 44 assisted tackles for 117 total tackles. He also had 2 sacks to his credit. He should be able to build on the success he found in Washington. Pete Carroll and Dan Quinn run similar defensive schemes.

Kolton Miller started off slow but has really rounded into a decent offensive tackle. He was the one Gruden/Mayock-era draft pick that actually panned out well. He's a key piece and a true leader for the Raiders offensive line. They will heavily rely upon him this coming season.

He's been pretty consistent throughout his career, barely missing any games. I wouldn't necessarily call him elite, but he is certainly a solid starting-caliber player. He doesn't have the accolades and kind of feels like he's under the radar. It will be interesting to see what happens next offseason when he becomes a free agent. I imagine the Raiders will want him back.

It's unusual to see a kicker on a list like this, but Daniel Carlson has definitely done enough to earn a spot. Carlson has been among the most accurate and consistent kickers in the league since joining the Raiders in his rookie season.

He finished the 2024 season making 34 of 40 field goals (85 percent) and 23 of 25 extra points (92 percent). Finding a good kicker in this league is more difficult than you would think. Even if he had a down year in 2024, you can't take him for granted.