Las Vegas Raiders positional coach tells the secret to success in 2026 with one of the biggest wildcards on the team
The Las Vegas Raiders will need to learn on their defensive line in 2026, but are they up for the challenge?
The Las Vegas Raiders are ready to enter the 2026 season, as they feel like they can double their wins from last season. Then again, that may not be too hard. Doubling that total would put them at six wins in 2026, and that would be considered a successful season.
But they will need every position group and every unit to play better than they did last season. That shouldn’t be too hard either. They made roster moves at just about every single position group, so on paper, they are better. But there are still some wildcards on this roster.
It’s hard to argue that the position group with the most wildcard-like feeling heading into the 2026 season is the defensive line. There’s a ton of unknowns with that position group. But defensive lineman coach Travis Smith has the recipe for success for that unit.
“It’s an effort-based front. Whether we’re rushing four, we’re rushing five, we’re rushing three – it doesn’t matter. The intensity and disposition that we play with is non-negotiable,” Smith said to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com. “We’re going to teach fundamentals, we’re going to teach technique … but the bottom line is the one thing they all have control over is their effort. Every coach talks about it, every coach says it, but it’s the real ones that keep accountable to it.”
Raiders do still have some things to figure out on the defensive line
Veas doesn’t really have a nose tackle set in stone on this roster. Right now, it feels like Adam Butler will have some of those responsibilities. They did draft Brandon Cleveland specifically for that role. But, being a seventh-rounder, how likely is it he actually sees the field a ton?
Luckily, there are guys on the roster who have something to prove, like JJ Pegues, so maybe someone steps up. Either way, just because they have switched to a 3-4 system now, doesn’t mean they will be in that the whole game. It’s going to be more of a multiple-front defensive scheme, with the base being 3-4.
They also have an issue at the edge rusher positions. If Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, or Kwity Paye were to get hurt, Vegas would be screwed. We are talking about Keyon Crawford, a rookie, as the next man up, followed by a bunch of UDFA or practice-squad guys. Maybe we start to see some guys in training camp step up and take over those positions.
The defensive line has some things to figure out, for sure. But it feels like they are better than last season. We still don’t really know what to expect, though.