Kirk Cousins gets promising sign ahead of Raiders debut

Kirk Cousins is about to step on the field with the Las Vegas Raiders for his first regular-season game with the team. The Raiders take on the Dolphins on Sunday, and there's a lot of hope that this year's Raiders won't be like the past few years.

Cousins is the veteran quarterback leading this team, at least for now. Rookie Fernando Mendoza is also waiting in the wings. But, whoever is serving as quarterback, what's going to be important is who they have on their offense. Even the best quarterback needs good targets.

Raiders' offensive line could be better than expected in 2026

So, how is the Raiders' offense? It's actually not as bad as one might think after having a 3-14 season. PFF has released its official 2026 NFL offensive line rankings, and the Raiders are No. 18. Now, that's not amazing, but Gordon McGuinness of PFF has good things to say about the team.

"The Raiders made Tyler Linderbaum by far the highest-paid center in football, and he should have a huge impact on their ability to run the football," he says. "The former first-round pick has secured PFF pass-blocking grades below 65.0 in each of the past two seasons, but PFF run-blocking grades above 80.0 in three of his four seasons in the NFL."

He adds, "Left tackle Kolton Miller looked set for a career year before a season-ending injury after just four games. Look for this to be an ascending group in 2026, and one with serious potential to move up these rankings throughout the season."

So, these guys have real potential to "move up these rankings" as the season progresses. From his prediction to God's ears.

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