Veteran adds much-needed depth and experience but Las Vegas long-term planning at position group needs focus

Sometimes, football fate meets football reality.

Such is the case for Germaine Pratt and the Las Vegas Raiders.

When the veteran linebacker found himself cast aside by the Cincinnati Bengals — the team that drafted him in the third round (72nd overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft — the proclamations the Silver & Black sign a much-needed defender to bolster a position of need arrived faster and with more determination than Bo Jackson when he took the handoff against the Seattle Seahawks back in...

Fielding Raider Nation’s questions for the week

With the Fourth of July coming on Friday, we’re moving this week’s call for mailbag questions up by a day, so that I can spend the holiday with my family. Also, this means Al Davis’ birthday is coming up, and we’ve officially hit the start of training camp month as the Las Vegas Raiders will report to camp in just a few weeks. So, let’s get some 2025 season-preview questions going this week!

As always, anything Raiders-related is on the table and fire away with anything that’s on your mind. Send your questions...

All the latest NFL news and rumors

We’re into the seventh month of the Las Vegas Raiders’ 2025 offseason after a 2024 season which didn’t go as hoped and the team is looking toward the future with training camp finally beginning this month. We’re collecting all the news, injury reports, signings, rumors, and everything you need to follow the Raiders and the NFL in the month of July.

We’ll update everything below in reverse chronological order:

July 2

1:09 p.m.: Maxx Crosby’s i credible commitment to his craft is explained by NFL analyst Brian Baldinger on Chris Long’s podcast.

How does Las Vegas’ young group stack up to the rest of the division?

We’re wrapping up the offensive position groups in Silver and Black Pride’s AFC West positional rankings by taking a look at the trenches. Heading into the 2025 season, the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive line is a young group overall that has a few question marks. But that seems to be a theme within the division, so how does the Raiders’ unit stack up?

All projected starters below are based on the depth charts on OurLads.com.

1. Los Angeles Chargers

*Projected Starters: Rashawn Slater (LT), Bradley...

Jackson Powers-Johnson has a new mentor and we’re here for it

A relationship is blossoming this offseason in Las Vegas and it’s pretty dang cool.

Jackson Powers-Johnson and Maxx Crosby are becoming extremely close and it should have a subtle, but important positive impact on the team as a whole.

As he entered the offseason after his rookie year, Jackson-Powers, the Raiders’ starting center, gravitated to Crosby, the team’s superstar pass-rusher. Powers-Johnson worked out with the veteran routinely during the offseason.

It’s all part of the process of becoming a well-rounded NFL player for Powers-Johnson.

“I think it starts...

Checking the pulse of Raider Nation

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Las Vegas Raiders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Las Vegas Raiders attacked the quarterback position right away by trading for Geno Smith. Smith has been the quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks for the last three seasons, after serving as a journeyman backup. He revitalized his career, making a Pro Bowl and having two 4000-yard seasons in Seattle.

Now he comes...

Tampa Bay cornerback has ties to Las Vegas

Even with training camp starting this month, there rumors about possible additions by the Las Vegas Raiders continue.

Recently, CBS Sports mentioned the Raiders are a potential trade partner with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for veteran cornerback Jamel Dean. He was in Tampa Bay with new Las Vegas general manager John Spytek.

Dean may be losing playing time in Tampa Bay, but he has 63 career starts and is just 28 years old.

Las Vegas has signed Erick Stokes in free agency and drafted Darien Porter n the third round. They are...

Website ranks unit toward bottom of the league

We all know the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense, as a whole, was mostly dreadful in the 2024 season.

But it’s over and it seems like the team has made some nice additions for the 2025 season this offseason, adding new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, quarterback Geno Smith and running back Ashton Jeanty, among others, to help build an offense that showcases 2024 star rookie tight end Brock Bowers

Frankly, the additions are impressive and it should help the Raiders become a competent offense this season. Yet, not everyone is convinced the Las...

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Ashton Jeanty’s arrival undoubtedly bolsters Las Vegas backfield

There wasn’t a worse ground game in the NFL last season than the Las Vegas Raiders.

Ranked 32nd in the league in several categories — total yards gained (1,357), yards per attempt (3.6), yards per game (79.9), and first downs gained (78) — the Silver & Back were the epitome of dead last in 2024.

While the Raiders didn’t finish last in rushing touchdowns, the team had 10 which put them at 27th out of the 32 squads, the teams to have less endzone visits on the ground each had more total...

Three top-10 rushers in franchise history compete for a spot on the All-Quarter Century Team.

Silver and Black Pride is continuing its All-Quarter Century Team series, where you get to vote on who the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders’ best players of the 2000s have been so far. The quarterbacks were up recently, and now it’s time to see who they’ll be sharing a backfield with, as it’s time to vote on a running back.

The Raiders have had a few notable rushers over the last 25 years, with Tyrone Wheatley (ninth), Darren McFadden (seventh) and Josh Jacobs (third) all ranking in...

Ranking the top tight ends in the division

Seeing as ‘TEU’ has been in the news recently, it’s a fitting time to dive into Silver and Black Pride’s AFC West tight end rankings.

Unfortunately for some, there is no surprise Taylor Swift concert included here, but we do have an interesting debate between Taylor’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Tavis Kelce, and the Las Vegas Raiders’ All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers.

Bowers had a historic rookie season, but is that small body of work enough to surpass a future Hall of Famer in Kelce?

**1. Brock Bowers, Las Vegas...