ESPN ranks Raiders' offensive playmakers among NFL's worst

[ASFN Admin]

The Las Vegas Raiders will enter the 2026 season with an underwhelming amount of talent on the offensive side of the football, specifically at the wide receiver position.

The team added former Minnesota Vikings route runner Jalen Nailor to complement Tre Tucker, but the duo will enter the season as one of the worst receiving tandems in the NFL.

Running back Ashton Jeanty will look to break out in year two, as the Raiders' new-look offensive line could allow the rising star to shine.

Tight end Brock Bowers is expected to bounce back this season following a sophomore campaign bogged down by injury as well, and the former All Pro should quickly pick up where he left off as the Raiders' top pass catcher in 2026.

Despite the presence of Bowers, the Raiders group of offensive weapons is relatively unproven. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently ranked each NFL teams’ WR, TE and RB group, and the Raiders’ offensive core came in at No. 26.

“There are two exciting young players here, although neither had great 2025 seasons. Tight end Brock Bowers was limited and then sidelined by a knee issue, but we still saw glimpses of the player who terrorized the league as a rookie. And running back Ashton Jeanty failed to live up to expectations after coming into the league as a top-10 pick. There's no question that Jeanty was let down by a dismal offensive infrastructure, but he also struggled to run through NFL tackles in short-yardage situations and made some unforced mistakes. I'm still optimistic we'll see something close to the Boise State version of Jeanty in 2026, but it's also fair to be a little nervous. Even if Bowers and Jeanty live up to expectations, though, there's just not much to be excited about at wide receiver. Jalen Nailor has been solid as a third option for the Vikings, but he's stretched into a starting role here. Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. did little in their debut seasons, with the latter averaging a scarcely believable 0.6 yards per route run. Tre Tucker's a solid deep option and could play the Rashid Shaheed role in Klint Kubiak's offense, but if the WRs produce at all, the most likely reasons would expect to be products of the scheme and better quarterback play.”

The Raiders’ offensive playmakers were ranked at No. 23 prior to the 2024 campaign. Las Vegas was ranked at No. 20 prior to last season, and the Raiders’ offense as a whole will undoubtedly need to play at a much higher level moving forward.

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The Raiders have one of the more promising young cores in football despite their struggles on offense over the last two seasons. The offensive unit will look to exceed expectations in 2026, but they must first prove it on the field. And probably add some talent.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: ESPN ranks Raiders' offensive playmakers among NFL's worst

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