Raiders Clips
Another one of Fernando Mendoza’s Indiana teammates will be joining him with the Raiders.
The Raiders announced that they have signed wide receiver Jonathan Brady on Monday. They also signed running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. as undrafted free agents last week, so there’s now a quartet of Hoosiers on the roster in Las Vegas.
Brady transferred to Indiana in 2025 after playing at New Mexico State and Cal. He caught 14 passes for 115 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season in Bloomington. He also averaged 16.5 yards on punt returns and returned one punt for a touchdown.
The Raiders placed wide receiver Justin Shorter on injured reserve in a corresponding move. He appeared in 17 games the last two seasons and saw most of his action on special teams.
Defensive end Charles Snowden started 18 games for the Raiders the last two seasons, but he’s not in new head coach Klint Kubiak’s plans for 2026.
The Raiders announced that they waived Snowden over the weekend. Snowden played 31 games overall for Las Vegas and recorded 67 tackles, 4.5 sacks and an interception during his time with the team.
Snowden was one of four players that the Raiders cut loose to make space for players who earned roster spots during tryouts at the team’s rookie minicamp. Guard McClendon Curtis, tight end Matt Lauter, and guard Layden Robinson were also dropped.
Safety Devyn Perkins, offensive tackle Niklas Henning, tight end Patrick Gurd, and offensive tackle Kamar Missouri are the new additions for the Raiders.
He was the eleventh overall pick in the draft. As of Friday, however, Cowboys safety Caleb Downs had the top-selling jersey among all rookies.
Fanatics has announced, via Fox Sports, the ten best-selling rookie jerseys in the wake of the 2026 draft. Downs leads the way.
Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, lands at No. 5. That’s one spot behind Steelers rookie quarterback Drew Allar, a third-round pick, who sits at No. 4.
Here’s the full top ten: (1) Downs; (2) Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez; (3) Cowboys linebacker Malachi Lawrence; (4) Allar; (5) Mendoza; (6) Dolphins cornerback Chris Johnson; (7) Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love; (8) Patriots offensive lineman Caleb Lomu; (9) Bears safety Dillon Thieneman; (10) Jets linebacker David Bailey.
The presence of two Cowboys defensive players in the top three and two Dolphins defensive players in the top six could be a reflection of the overall optimism the fans of those teams are currently feeling. For Dallas, the offense is among the best in the league; it won’t take much defensive improvement to make the team a contender. As to the Dolphins, it’s a new era with the hiring of G.M. Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley.
It’s somewhat surprising that none of the four receivers taken in the first round made the list. And the absence of Rams quarterback Ty Simpson reflects the reality that he’ll be spending a year (or two, or maybe three) behind Matthew Stafford.
The numbers will surely change once the depth charts are determined for 2026 and, after that, the games are played. The rookies who play and play well will see a spike in jersey sales.
Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza was in the shotgun for almost every snap he took in college. That won’t be the case in the NFL, and when he took the practice field for the first time at rookie minicamp, that was a major adjustment.
“It’s the added footwork. Instead of being back there in shotgun, you really have to get back to make sure you get depth,” Mendoza said. “Still be on time, still decipher the defense. And with that, it’s really having an emphasis on those first two steps, on securing the snap and getting out out of there and powerful with having quick feet.”
Mendoza said he has heard plenty about making that adjustment from head coach Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.
“I think it’s going to be that repetition under center, getting those quicker feet, and just you can always be faster faster and more efficient in your reads and decisiveness,” Mendoza said.
Offensive lineman Trey Zuhn has been snapping to Mendoza at rookie minicamp. Zuhn, a third-round pick from Texas A&M, can play anywhere on the offensive line and will likely be a guard in the regular season, with free agent acquisition Tyler Linderbaum locked in as the starting center. For now, Zuhn is getting a lot of work at center, and he’s more accustomed to the shotgun, too.
“We didn’t do very much under center at A&M, either, so it’s been great getting those extra reps,” Zuhn said.
It’s a common adjustment that rookie quarterbacks have to make, as many college offenses operate almost exclusively in the shotgun, while every NFL team still expects its quarterbacks to take some snaps from under center. And it’s a top priority for Mendoza now.
Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, is passing on a chance to accompany his former teammates to the White House.
Indiana will take the customary visit to Washington, D.C., on May 11.
The Heisman Trophy winner was asked whether he would take the trip, and his answer incorrectly stated that as the start of the Raiders’ organized team activities. Their OTAs actually begin a week later, on May 18.
“I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here. I’ve got to prove myself,” Mendoza told reporters Saturday. “I can’t miss practice. I don’t have the calendar, but as a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look. I want to try to best serve my teammates, and I don’t know if that’d be accomplishing that goal.”
After all the hoopla following a Heisman, a national championship and becoming the top pick, Mendoza was eager to get back to it. All eyes were on him as he worked with some of his new teammates at the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend.
“Out of all those great milestones, I’m really happy about these past two days, because it’s back to football,” Mendoza said, via Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Fernando Mendoza won’t be the only rookie at Raiders practices this offseason.
The team announced the signing of undrafted free agent Jacob Clark on Friday. He was 247-of-376 for 3,244 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions at Missouri State during the 2025 season.
The Raiders also added a couple of Mendoza’s teammates from Indiana. Running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. are also part of the undrafted rookie group in Vegas. Williams had 36 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns for the Hoosiers last year.
Penn State long snapper Tyler Duzansky, BYU tackle Isaiah Jatta, Troy safety Devin Lafayette, Boise State tight end Matt Lauter, Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, Kennesaw State cornerback Caleb Offord, Duke guard Justin Pickett, BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts, Arkansas State wide receiver Corey Rucker, N.C. State defensive end Cian Slone, UCLA defensive tackle Gary Smith III, Arkansas linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr., Maine linebacker Chris Thomas, and BYU safety Tanner Wall also signed with the Raiders.
The Raiders announced the signing of two more draft picks, putting seven of their 10 selections under contract. Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, remains one of the three players unsigned.
The Raiders signed third-round offensive guard Trey Zuhn III and seventh-round defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland.
Zuhn III played five seasons at Texas A&M, seeing action in 54 games with 50 starts over his collegiate career. In 2025, he earned All-SEC first-team honors and was co-winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the top SEC offensive lineman after starting all 13 games, including 11 starts at left tackle and two starts at center.
Cleveland spent all four seasons at North Carolina State and played 45 career games with 26 starts. He finished with 107 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, one pass defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Cleveland appeared in every game for the Wolfpack over his past three seasons, including 13 games in 2025, totaling 36 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks.
The Raiders earlier signed second-round safety Treydan Stukes, fourth-round running back Mike Washington Jr., fifth-round safety Dalton Johnson, fifth-round cornerback Hezekiah Masses and sixth-round wide receiver Malik Benson.
The Raiders have signed five of their 10 draft picks, the team announced Thursday.
The signees include second-round safety Treydan Stukes.
Stukes appeared in 52 games over six seasons at Arizona and recorded 206 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, a sack, seven interceptions and 35 passes defensed.
The Raiders also signed fourth-round running back Mike Washington Jr., fifth-round safety Dalton Johnson, fifth-round cornerback Hezekiah Masses and sixth-round wide receiver Malik Benson.
Washington played his final college season at Arkansas after one season at New Mexico State (2024) and three years at Buffalo (2021-23). In his career, he registered 587 rushing attempts for 2,914 yards and 26 touchdowns in addition to 73 receptions for 470 yards and three scores.
Johnson played five seasons at Arizona, appearing in 50 games and totaling 286 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, five interceptions, 10 passes defensed and seven forced fumbles.
Masses played three seasons at Florida International before transferring to California for his senior season. He appeared in 49 games over his college career, totaling 152 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions , 25 passes defensed, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Benson began his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College (2021-22) before transferring to Alabama (2023) for one season, Florida State for one season (2024) and then to Oregon for his final season (2025). He played 41 career games over his final three seasons and finished with 81 receptions for 1,192 yards and eight receiving touchdowns.
The Raiders announced a change to their roster on Thursday afternoon.
They have released veteran linebacker Jamin Davis. The team did not announce any corresponding moves, but the spot could be filled before or after this weekend’s rookie mincamp.
Davis signed to the practice squad last October and appeared in two games during the season. He had three tackles in those appearances.
Washington drafted Davis in the first round in 2021 and he appeared in 50 games before being cut during the 2024 season. He played in five games for the Vikings, but was released again before the end of the season.
There has been much made about Tom Brady’s involvement — or lack thereof — with the Raiders since he became a minority owner of the franchise.
But even as Brady’s presence hovers over the franchise, General Manager John Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak feel they can do what they need to do on a daily basis to run the franchise.
Spytek addressed this fact this week in an interview with Up & Adams when host Kay Adams asked if it’ll be difficult to keep Brady out of the QBs room.
“I don’t think it’s going to be hard,” Spytek said. “We both welcome Tom’s insight and his input. But at the same time, I would say Tom has empowered us to run the day-to-day of the Raiders the way that we see fit. And obviously with the right vision and process in place, we’re going to be a very process-driven organization right now. And I think that wouldn’t surprise anybody with the way that Tom has operated throughout his career.
“But I think that Klint and I both feel the support that he’s given us to do the day-to-day stuff the right way and to accentuate the right things, to hold people accountable, especially the quarterback room. There’s no more important room in our building from a players stand point than the quarterback room — everybody knows that. It’s the hardest position in sports to play. So, there’s going to be a high level of accountability and demand that comes with that. But, I think we both are just very appreciative of the way Tom operates and the insights and the knowledge he shares with us. But also, the way that he allows us to do things the right way day-to-day.”
There’s a lot to be determined when it comes to Mendoza’s success and the larger success of the Raiders in the coming season and going forward. But it appears Spytek and Kubiak are going to bear much of the responsibility for the team’s results.
