Sports

Ranking the Raiders' best 2026 players: No. 5

Las Vegas Raiders On SI · Jul 21, 2026 14:00 · 5 min read

Ranking the Raiders' Best 2026 Players: No. 5 — Aug 23, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Las Vegas Raiders helmet during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The top talent on the Las Vegas Raiders' roster is several young players whom they will heavily depend on to lead them into the future.

The new additions the Las Vegas Raiders made this offseason will be the focus of training camp and much of the upcoming 2026 season. Those moves should improve the Raiders at the positions where talent was added, but they should also help some of Las Vegas' top returning talent.

The Raiders have had a productive offseason in several regards. Now, they will look to their best players to help establish a new culture for a team that aims to lay the foundation for a brighter future.

Raiders' Pieces

Their record does not show it, but the Raiders have had quality talent at a few positions on the field even before this offseason. However, the lack of talent overall made it hard for the talent Las Vegas did have to shine. That should no longer be the case moving forward.

Las Vegas is sure to continue building out its roster in future offseasons. However, they have made enough progress with new additions that the roster as a whole can take a step forward. The Raiders have assembled a solid mixture of veterans and youthful talent at critical positions on the field.

Over the next few weeks, we will rank the top 30 players on the Raiders' roster. There will be no rookies on this list, as it is impossible to make the list with zero regular-season snaps.

Ranking the Raiders: No. 5, RB Ashton Jeanty

The Raiders drafted Jeanty with the No. 6 overall pick in last year's NFL Draft. Although Jeanty broke the franchise's rookie record for yards from scrimmage, the Raiders finished last in the league in total rushing yards in 2025. They did so largely because of arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL.

The majority of Jeanty's total yards last season came after defenders made contact with him at or behind the line of scrimmage. Still, most players improve the most between their first and second seasons. Jeanty is focused on controlling what he can control as he prepares for the season.

"I think just looking at what I've done, and just trying to critique that, but also just talking to other guys who've been in the league. Obviously, he's not here anymore, but Raheem [Mostert] was a guy I talked to about that. At the Fanatics flag football game, I was talking to Alvin Kamara a lot, so just trying to learn and take things from different people and apply it to myself," Jeanty said earlier this offseason.

“I'd say just my routine [has improved]. Obviously, rookie year, you don't really get a true offseason, so still even this year, this is my, like, first real one, so figuring out how I want my diet to be, what time I want to train. Like when do I want to start training? When should I take a vacation? So, just dialing in all those things, so I can be ready to go."

It is fair to assume that Jeanty will do his part and continue to improve during training camp. Yet, Las Vegas' plans for the talented back they invested a premium draft pick in remain to be seen. Jeanty's success this season will be a major factor for the Raiders.

Klint Kubiak is expected to improve the Raiders' offense, in addition to the offseason moves Las Vegas made. After Las Vegas' last coaching staff was unable to get the offense going, Kubiak has big plans for Jeanty, as finding additional ways to get him the ball will make everything else easier.

"We want to put a lot of pressure on Ashton [Jeanty]. The next guy that steps up, whoever that may be, that's going to be seen here in practice, OTAs, and training camp. But we think we should continue to challenge Ashton and get more out of him,” Kubiak said earlier this offseason.

"I've said it before, I think it's important to have a quality second back, but the best player has got to play, and we got to get them on the field as much as we can. I don't know the play snap percentage, but you look at Christian McCaffrey; his play snap percentage is high. So, those great backs, they don't want to come off the field."

The Raiders addressed their poor offensive coaching by revamping their coaching staff, hiring Kubiak and others. Las Vegas addressed its offensive line by signing Tyler Linderbaum to a record-breaking contract for an interior offensive lineman, which should help open additional lanes.

They also added Spencer Burford to the offensive line and improved at wide receiver and quarterback. All of these things should lead to Jeanty experiencing significantly less attention on Sundays. This should allow the Raiders to maximize Jeanty's talent more than they did in 2025.

Las Vegas has been one of the worst rushing teams in the league the past three seasons. They have tried nearly as many running backs as they have quarterbacks and coaches during that time frame, all unsuccessfully. However, Jeanty's arrival confirmed the problem was bigger than the running backs.

Even one of the most talented running backs to enter the league in years was held back by the lack of a competent offensive line. The Raiders made a significant move by adding Linderbaum, but as they continue to move into a future led by Jeanty, Fernando Mendoza, and others, blocking is key.

Las Vegas will spend the next few offseasons continuing to revamp its offensive line, as it has used its past three first-round picks on a quarterback, running back, and tight end. Each of those positions depends on a unit that the Raiders are still repairing.

Still, just like protecting Kirk Cousins and Mendoza will be a focus moving forward, finding ways to get Jeanty the ball more often and in more advantageous situations will be a primary focus for Kubiak and his coaching staff in 2026 and beyond. Their success as an offense and as a team depends on it, and so does Jeanty's long-term success in the NFL.