Ryan Mc Fadden Aug 29, 2026, 05:00 AM ET Close Ryan Mc Fadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN's NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, Mc Fadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. Mc Fadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun.

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Tough decisions are ahead for Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak. Kubiak, general manager John Spytek and the rest of the staff will come together to cut the Raiders' roster down to 53 players ahead of Sunday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. The time leading up will feature countless hours watching film and evaluating the players on the roster.

With Las Vegas first in line on the waiver wire, the team will also look at the moves around the league to see if there's an opportunity to add help."You develop relationships with these guys since April, and they give you their heart and soul and all their time, and eventually, it comes down to this," Kubiak said. "But there's also so many examples of guys that have been cut and make practice squads and make a team, or guys that get claimed by other teams, or guys that get cut five times and make 12-year careers."Here is a look at some of the biggest decisions facing the Raiders: Should the Raiders keep three quarterbacks? Kubiak said the team has been discussing possibly having three quarterbacks (Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O'Connell) on the 53-man roster. If the Raiders keep O'Connell, he would be another strong voice in the quarterbacks room, as his experience could benefit Mendoza. Each quarterback has said that they have learned from one another throughout the offseason and training camp."It's going to be some hard decisions on who's [QB1], who's [QB2], and that's not a decision that we have to make today," Kubiak said. "But those are discussions that are ongoing."O'Connell believes he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and the opportunity to do so is no longer present in Las Vegas.

Cousins is expected to be the Week 1 starter, while rookie Mendoza waits until it's time for him to be the next face of the franchise. If the Raiders cut O'Connell, who is an unrestricted free agent in 2027, they would save $3.64 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap data. Las Vegas, however, could try to find a trade partner.

He would be an intriguing trade candidate for any team looking for an experienced backup with starter experience. In 17 career starts, O'Connell has thrown for 3,579 yards, 18 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a completion percentage of 62.5%. On top of that, O'Connell has played well during training camp, and he orchestrated an impressive go-ahead touchdown drive in the preseason win over the Houston Texans last week.

What to do with the depth at wide receiver? Kubiak called out the wide receivers last week, demanding improvement. The position group entered training camp as one of the weak spots on the roster. Ahead of the roster cutdown deadline, there are still a ton of questions regarding the wideouts.

The Raiders do not have a true WR1. The door is open for Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor to emerge. Either way, both should be quality complementary players in the passing game, which revolves around tight end Brock Bowers.

The real question is how the Raiders will fill out the rest of the WR room. Jack Bech can be a big-body receiver -- 6-1, 214 pounds -- in the slot and adds run-blocking support. But he has had an underwhelming camp, for the most part, whereas rookie Malik Benson has flashed multiple times in practice and games.

But will his strong play translate in the regular season against stronger competition? As for second-year wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr., he hasn't practiced since Aug. 7 because of an undisclosed injury. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he begins the season on injured reserve. When factoring those elements, the Raiders' depth at wide receiver is not in a good spot.

And Las Vegas might hav...