Hosts Explains Why He Liked the Raiders’ Unpopular Approach at Wide Receiver in 2026

The Raiders have been praised for an offseason that included the additions of Klint Kubiak, Fernando Mendoza and the league’s highest paid center, Tyler Linderbaum.

But did GM John Spytek and the decision makers in Las Vegas come up short in their efforts to bolster the wide receiver room?

The Raiders don’t have any obvious answers at wide receiver going into the 2026 season, but the Athletic’s Ted Nguyen doesn’t think the team made a misstep at the position.

“This is the big sticking point with a lot of shows I listen to around the media world. They just don’t like what the Raiders did at receiver. But I think it’s fine,” Nguyen said on the Just Win podcast this week.

“Brock Bowers, he’s your number one receiver. Tre Tucker should take a step up. I thought he improved a lot last year. The staff really seems to believe in him. Jalen Nailor is a solid receiver. And you need Jack Bech or Dont’e Thornton to really step up and be a dependable part of this offense,” Nguyen continued. “So it’s not great, but I would say C plus because I think Brock Bowers is so good as your number one receiver. And these other guys, they have the ability to compliment him.”

Ngueyn said he still has hope for the young receivers on the Raiders’ roster and doesn’t think it would have been a great decision to add more mid-round receivers to take opportunities away from Bech and Thornton.

“I’m not mad the team passed up on like Elijah Sarratt in the mid rounds because you do need to eventually just see what these guys develop into. And rather than take a mid-round pick on a receiver that just might end up being the same situation Jack Bech was in last year. I’m not too mad about that,” Nguyen continued.

“We’ve seen so many examples of teams adding that number one receiver the second year a rookie quarterback has and really having them take off. So, I think this year is about establishing that foundation, great play caller, pass protection, running backs, and finding who can be those dependable receivers. And then hopefully, you know, that’s enough for Mendoza to develop to a certain level this year.”

Last week, Raider Nation Radio’s Q Myers discussed the Raiders’ wide receiver room, and he believes the situation will be better this year simply with the addition of the new coaching staff.

“Maybe this is blind faith… [but] I trust Kubiak to be able to scheme these guys open and use what he can do, his skill set as a play caller, to their advantage,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.

“I go back to Speedy Naylor, if he’s stretching the field, that opens up the underneath in the middle for a guy like [Brock] Bowers and Michael Mayer. I just think that that’s how they butter their bread this year. I really do. I don’t think they are going to need that true no. 1 receiver this year.”

Myers’ co-host, Lincoln Kennedy, said he agreed on the Raiders’ approach to the wide receiver position, adding that he didn’t want to see the team add a diva wideout to the locker room.

“I think that when we did our mock drafts and when we looked at the offseason with the acquisitions and we saw what the Raiders did, in the back of my mind said ‘You know what? They’re probably not going to address this receiver position in the draft,’” Kennedy said.

“It’ll probably be next year. And for as many people talk about Denzel Boston and all these other receivers, I saw where teams like Cleveland went. I saw where other teams went. I just didn’t have those guys designated as a true X,” Kennedy continued.

“I have not seen that out of these players. Not to say that it’s not going to be next year, sure as, but I still think that you have to see what you have out of Jack Bech. The Jack Bech and Brock Bowers combo and Naylor out there, you have to see that what you have. Dont’e Thornton Jr., I think, will be better. I think a lot of times when they were throwing those 50-50 balls up last year, he just wasn’t in the right place, but he’ll get better with his route running.”

x: @raidersbeat