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Raiders Mailbag: Which matchup are you most looking forward to this year?

Dan Schwartz from Indiana asks:

"What game are you most looking forward to this year? For me, its always the Chargers."

There's quite a few games I have circled before we even know when they'll be played, which we'll find out soon with schedule release coming this Thursday.

But the game I'm most excited for is against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. This game in particular has added meaning considering Raiders Head Coach Klint Kubiak and his assistants Andrew Janocko and Rick Dennison was a part of that staff. In order the be the best, you have to beat the best, and there's arguably not a better challenge at home than Seattle.

Manuel Hicks from California asks:

"Do you think Treydan Stukes or Dalton Johnson can possibly start at a one of the safety positions?"

It's super early to predict if one or both will become starters. However, a second-round pick on a safety is a big investment I assume the Raiders would like to see through. It also helps Stukes helps adds another dimension to the secondary with his ability to be a coverage specialist. In 2025, he didn't allow a single touchdown in coverage and earned a 59 completion percentage as the nearest defender, per Pro Football Focus.

Johnson, who was selected in the fifth round, also excels in coverage with four interceptions and seven pass deflections in 2025.

If there's one thing that gives these two safeties their best chance to play early, it's their chemistry. Even as rookies, their personal friendship and four years of playing next to each other at Arizona could help the learning curve heading into training camp.

"Once you can build that trust on and off the field and just believe in each other ... it really just made the bond real easy," Johnson said of his friendship with Stukes. "It's like we're [the] back of our hands to each other now. He knows where I'm going and he knows where I'm going."

Wylie Gober from New Jersey asks:

"Outside of Mendoza, which rookie (including UDFA) are you looking at and will have a big impact this season?"

I personally don't believe people understand how big of a get Mike Washington Jr. is as a fourth-round pick.

He proved to be a top running back in college at each of his three stops, scoring at least eight rushing touchdowns while playing for Buffalo, New Mexico and Arkansas. His speed is the main attractor to his game, with the best 40-yard dash speed of any running back at the 2026 Combine, yet he still plays with a high level of physicality in between the tackles.

While Ashton Jeanty is the clearcut RB1, Washington has a good chance to carve reps for himself and be a suitable change of pace back as a rookie.

"Coming from pro-style offense at Arkansas, we excelled at wide zone, also inside zone," Washington said after being drafted. "So, I have a familiar familiarity with it. I believe that I could come in and really, that would be my advantage, having a familiar with running wide zone at Arkansas."

Get an exclusive look at photos from phase two of the Silver and Black's offseason program.

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