Klint Kubiak’s first training camp practice showed exactly what to expect from a wrinkle of the offense that was not successful last season
The Las Vegas Raiders ran a lot of 12 personnel in 2025, but it wasn’t nearly as successful as Kubiak was with Seattle.
With training camp officially underway, the Las Vegas Raiders are ready to put in the work. On Day 1 of camp, we already got a glimpse of what rookie head coach Klint Kubiak is going to be doing with the offense.
According to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com, both tight ends, Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, had great days. The team ran a ton of 12 personnel on Day 1, and while that doesn’t set anything in stone, it’s certainly worth noting. Kubiak is going to run two tight ends a lot. Last season with the Seattle Seahawks, he ran it the 14th-most in the league.
And, just think, the Seahawks don’t have the best TE room. Sure, AJ Barner and Eric Saubert are good. But are those guys anywhere near the level Bowers and Mayer are/could be? No. We can assume that with a better tight end room than last year, Kubiak may run 12 personnel even more. Even with the room he did have last season, the Seahawks were one of the most successful teams in 12 personnel. According to Sports Info Solutions, Seattle had the tenth-highest success rate in 12 personnel.
That’s the kind of success the Raiders need. And we could see that, or better, in 2026 just because of the players they have at the tight end position. Now, sure, there are some other factors at play. The Seahawks had an elite run game, maybe the best wide receiver in the league, and an MVP-like season from Sam Darnold. However, the numbers and common sense say the Raiders will at least be better than they were last year in that department.
Raiders’ 2025 season was brutal from a 12-personnel standpoint
Now, Vegas only won three games last year. They finished with the worst record in the NFL and may have had one of the worst offenses we have ever seen. It was that bad. So, when we compare the offense in 12 personnel last year to what it could be, just know it’s automatically going to be better. That is almost a guarantee. In 2025, Vegas used 12-personnel the eigth-most in the league. Using that package, they had a success rate of 41%, bad enough for 29th in the league.
The only way is up for the Raiders when it comes to using this package. In 2024, Brock Bowers was the best tight end in the league. We have waited for years now to see what Michael Mayer can really do, but he’s never had a good situation around him. Now, we could finally see the two together in an elite, or close to elite, system.