As the Raiders’ new coaching staff has become more familiar with the roster, one of the players that has apparently made an impression is third year running back Dylan Laube.
Laube has reportedly taken on a few different roles in OTAs, and according to the California Post’s Vinny Bonsignore, Laube could be a little more involved in the offense in 2026.
“This is going to be the Ashton Jeanty show and then Mike Washington is going to be groomed as the second guy,” Bonsignore said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
“But I’ll tell you this, Dylan Laube was getting a lot of run with the in that second unit and actually working in sometimes with the first unit. So interesting to see how this staff sees Dylan Laube. Number one, he’s a really valuable special teams player, so he’ll make the team just based on that, but I think they have a vision for him, as well. Maybe it’s a Charbonneau type of role. The running back up in Seattle, that was the not the co-running back with Kenneth Walker, but a change of pace guy alongside Kenneth Walker.”
Additionally, Special Teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis talked to the media last week and there’s no question he already has a high opinion of Laube.
“I think he’s done a great job throughout the OTAs,” Decamillis said.
“He’s another one that’s really, really sharp, gets the game, and he knows the way he’s going to make it is by the more he can do. And he’s accentuated that all the way through camp. I really like him so far. Obviously, OTAs, we haven’t put any pads on or any of that stuff, so you’ll find out more as we go through it. But really like the kid so far for sure, and I think he’s going to be a good player for us.”
With so much optimism around Laube, it seems likely that he will make the roster, but not everyone is sold on the idea of him actually having an increased role on offense.
Raiders host not yet buying the Laube hype…
“Dylan Lobby, I know he’s getting a lot of buzz. I’m not a hundred percent sure what the role is going to be for him,” Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers said last week on the Locked on Raiders podcast.
“A lot of people talking about what he can do and that the Raiders really seem to like him. I’ve fallen for that banana in the tailpipe before. So I’m not really going there. I’ll wait until training camp to see if he actually gets some real burn.”
To be fair, training camp and preseason are going to determine the roles for a lot of players on Kubiak’s roster.
With a new coaching staff in the building, there won’t be as many scholarships on the roster and based on everything that’s been reported over the last few months, that approach is going to apply to first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, as well.
x: @raidersbeat