3 projected starters for the Las Vegas Raiders who could end up losing their job by the middle of the 2026 season
The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into the 2026 season with a much better roster than they had last season, but some starters could lose their jobs.
The Las Vegas Raiders will soon be gearing up for training camp in less than 20 days. Between now and then, there isn’t a whole lot to talk about. However, we can always start talking about the season ahead of us and what could happen. In this case, which starters could lose their jobs in 2026?
And there are a few. Of course, the biggest one is quarterback Kirk Cousins. We know there’s a very high chance he’ll lose his job. It could be because he starts playing badly. Or maybe he doesn’t play all that badly, but the team is bad. Or maybe Fernando Mendoza just needs to start seeing the field, and it’s obvious the team has no shot at the postseason. But selecting that one as one of my three starters who could lose their jobs would be the easy way out. There are three others I firmly believe can also lose their jobs.
3 Raiders who can lose their starting jobs in 2026
Kwity Paye, DE
It’s not hard to believe that Paye could lose his starting job by the middle of the season. In fact, it’s not hard to believe he won’t even see out his full three-year contract with the team. In this new scheme, Paye will play the defensive end role. That’s his body type. I find it hard to believe he can play that outside linebacker role where he will be asked to stay in contain or even drop back in coverage.
However, they won’t always be the odd man out front. I think there are many better pass rushers on this team than Paye, and that alone could hurt his chances at playing a ton. Sure, he plays the run well, but you make your money in this league by taking down the QB. I can see rookie Keyron Crawford or even Malcolm Koonce winning snaps over Paye by the middle of the year if he is at that OLB spot. I can see Thomas Booker and maybe even Tonka Hemingway playing more at DE than Paye. I think it’s inevitable, and if it doesn’t happen at the midpoint of the season, it certainly will eventually.
DJ Glaze, RT
Many people believe that there is a legitimate right tackle battle going on in training camp this offseason. That would be between Glaze, who’s started nearly every single game there the last two years, and then second-year guy Charles Grant. Will there be a “battle”? Yes. However, Kubiak has said he loves the stability there, and I think that means Glaze kind of has to be the starter, or there’s no stability. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t lose his job.
By the midway point of the season, I could see the Raiders either going with Grant as a starter or going with versatile rookie Trey Zuhn. Last season, Glaze led the NFL in blown blocks. He’s not great when speed rushers are in front of him, and many think he would be better as a guard. But let’s wait and see how he is with a better offensive line coach in a better offense before we write him off.
Isaiah Pola-Mao/Jeremy Chinn, S
I think one of these guys is going to lose their job. Which one, well, I’m not sure. If I had to put money on either of them, it would be the one that Treydan Stukes can steal the job from. And, maybe Stukes ends up being the full-time slot guy. However, neither Pola-Mao nor Chinn can cover. So, I think one of them will be a rotational or situational guy by the midway point. Stukes can play the slot, as he did in college.
But he can also play free safety, as he also did in college. The Raiders need a guy who can cover and play that center fielder role. We saw how that went last season with those two as starters. This time, I think Stukes or even Dalton Johnson replaces one of them. Not to mention, it would get them ready to be a full-time starter in 2027, when Pola-Mao and Chinn are both free agents.