Michael Mayer, Jackson Powers-Johnson, 8 Las Vegas Raiders entering make-or-break season in 2026

The Las Vegas Raiders are entering year one of a rebuild, which means a heavy emphasis of the upcoming season is determining which players on the roster can be part of the team’s long-term plan. Within that, a handful of younger veterans, primarily guys entering the second-to-last or last year of their rookie contract, are heading into a make-or-break season heading into the 2026 campaign.

Michael Mayer

Mayer has had an interesting tenure in Las Vegas. He was viewed as the long-term answer at tight end after being a second-round pick, but that only lasted a year after the Raiders took Brock Bowers in the first round during the following draft. On top of that, health issues have taken the Notre Dame product off the field, as he’s missed at least three games each season so far in his career.

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Also, Mayer is part of the group of players who are about to play for their fourth head coach in as many years and have had several offensive play callers in Vegas. So, there’s a handful of justifications for his lack of production to this point. However, with Klint Kubiak’s 12 personnel-heavy offense and the fact that he’s entering a contract year, it feels like it’s the “now or never” period for Mayer. Especially since the offense lacks talent at wide receiver and could use someone else to step up and pick up the slack.

Jackson Powers-Johnson

While Powers-Johnson started 21 games during his first two seasons, he’s left something to be desired. The 2024 second-round pick has had a handful of impressive outings, but the consistency in his play has been lacking. So much so that he was competing with second-year pro Caleb Rogers to remain with the first-string offense during training camp.

At the time of writing, Kubiak hasn’t officially named a starting right guard, but all signs are pointing toward JPJ winning that battle. In other words, the third-year pro has another chance to prove himself as a formidable and consistent starter. But if he doesn’t, Rogers is lurking to take over the spot. JPJ also has to prove that he can stay healthy after missing 11 total games over the last two seasons combined.

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DJ Glaze

It was surprising that the Silver and Black didn’t have a competition for the starting right tackle job during training camp. Glaze struggled last season to the point where it looked like he was going to have to at least fight to get his spot back in 2026. But, to his credit, the third-year pro had a good enough summer to ease some concerns and was really sharp in the two preseason games he played in.

Now, Glaze needs to build on that momentum and continue to play well when the competition level rises. While there may not be an immediate replacement on the roster, right tackle will be a priority in the offseason if the 2024 third-round pick isn’t getting the job done, especially in pass protection.

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Tommy Eichenberg

Defensively, Eichenberg’s hopes of becoming a significant contributor may be hanging on by a thread. It appears as if he’s entering the 2026 campaign as the fourth linebacker on the depth chart, behind starters Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker and backup Cody Lindenberg. So, the 2024 fifth-round pick’s chances of becoming a contributing backer are fading away.

However, Dean and Walker have both missed several games over the last few years, adding extra significance to the Raiders’ linebacker depth. So, Eichenberg could have one more chance to show that he can impact the game beyond special teams.

Dylan Laube

Along the same line, Laube enters his third season as the third running back behind Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr., signaling the third-year pro will primarily be a special teamer again. However, Jeanty may not be 100 percent entering the year after suffering a sprained ankle at the end of training camp.

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That could lead to some third-down opportunities for Laube at the beginning of the season, which he’ll need to make the most of if he’s going to have a role in the offense moving forward. Laube did have a handful of impressive catches during the preseason, making defenders miss to pick up first downs, to build off of. Ball security also needs to be a point of emphasis for him after fumbling twice on just 11 touches during his first two seasons.

Jonah Laulu

Laulu is in a fairly similar situation as Powers-Johnson. The defensive tackle has recorded 22 starts over the last two seasons, including 15 last year. Additionally, he’s provided a handful of splash plays to show some promise but has struggled with consistency, forcing him to compete to remain in the starting lineup this summer.

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However, where Laulu and Powers-Johnson differ is that it appears as if the former is looking at having more of a rotational role behind Adam Butler and Tonka Hemingway this season. Fellow 2025 starter Thomas Booker IV may even be ahead of Laulu on the depth chart right now, while second-year pro JJ Pegues and veteran Foley Fatukasi are lurking in the shadows. So, the third-year pro is close to being expendable if he doesn’t step up this year.

Isaiah Pola-Mao

Pola-Mao is different than the six players previously discussed here since he’s entering year five in the NFL/with the Raiders. He was primarily a special teamer in years one and two, though, before becoming a regular starter at free safety over the last two seasons. However, his time as a starter might be coming to an end with rookie second-round pick Treydan Stukes factoring into the mix.

Las Vegas hasn’t specified who the starting free safety is yet, but Stukes was seen getting reps with the first-team defense toward the end of training camp while Pola-Mao was just mixing in with the ones. Considering that the veteran is in a contract year, it certainly seems like his seat is getting warm in the desert.

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Malcolm Koonce

Another guy who breaks the rookie contract mold, Koonce is a rare player to receive “prove-it” contracts in back-to-back offseasons. He signed another one-year, $11 million-and-change deal, with the hopes that he can get back to the eight-sack performance he put together in 2023. Being two years removed from a torn ACL should help the bounce-back effort, but that also means the excuse train is leaving the station.

If Koonce doesn’t produce in 2026, Las Vegas has too much invested at edge defender between signing Kwity Paye and spending a third-round pick on Keyron Crawford this offseason—on top of Maxx Crosby still being in the building—to justify keeping him around any longer.