Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jack Bech
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jack Bech | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Although the Las Vegas Raiders' wide receiver corps hasn't produced that much during the 2026 NFL season, with the exception of Tre Tucker, the room is suddenly crowded before Week 8 because Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. are returning from injury. But what do the Raiders do with them?
Las Vegas already has five wideouts on the roster, and it would be a shock to see them carry more than six. That would mean that the front office has a bevvy of critical decisions to make, but they must be made right now.
The window to activate Thornton Jr. closes on Wednesday, October 28. Bech is, by all accounts, healthy and ready to go for Sunday's game against the New York Jets, and the Raiders will surely want him back. So, let's go over the options for the Silver and Black as they navigate this situation.
What are Raiders' options with Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr.?
First, let's talk about the 21-day practice window. Thornton Jr. was designated to return to practice on October 7, so Las Vegas could activate him at any point between then and the 28. He could practice during this time as well and not count toward the active 53-man roster.
But now that the period is nearly up and Thornton Jr. has not been added to the active roster yet, the Raiders must decide if they are going to do that, place him on season-ending injured reserve, or trade/release him. Because he's been practicing in full, the optics of the second choice would be bad.
Thornton Jr. has no trade value, and releasing him would be admitting defeat on the 2025 Day 3 pick. But the wide receiver room is not currently such that Thornton Jr. has an obvious role if he were to be added. And Bech's return complicates things even more for the front office and coaching staff.
Bech is undeniably the better player at this point, and he was enjoying a good start to the year, both as a receiver and run-blocker, before he broke his forearm. And according to reports and Kubiak, Bech should play on Sunday against the Jets. If he can play, he needs a roster spot.
So, let's take a look at the current wide receiver room and see how Las Vegas can finagle this.
Tre Tucker
Jalen Nailor
Cody White
Malik Benson
Dareke Young
Tucker won't be cut for obvious reasons, and Nailor's contract is too big to get rid of him. It may be easy to say, "move White back down to the practice squad and then elevate him," but the Raiders are out of elevations for him. Moving him back down would not make any sense.
Benson is a rookie whom they may not want to subject to waivers as a potential long-term piece, and he's a key punt returner. So, to clear up a spot in the position room, the obvious cut is Dareke Young. He would not be subject to waivers and could immediately land back on the practice squad.
That paves the way for Bech.
To make room for Thornton Jr., though, the Raiders would have to cut another wideout (there are no obvious ones) or clear a roster spot at another position. Maybe an extra linebacker like Segun Olubi, a cornerback like Darrell Luter Jr. or a safety like Tristin McCollum gets the ax to accommodate him.
Then, Las Vegas could carry six at wide receiver, attempt to re-sign their waived or released player to the practice squad, and activate them on game days for a few weeks so that they can continue their work on special teams. It's a bit of roster manipulation and gambling, but it's what they'd have to do.
Kubiak has been very non-committal on reinstating Thornton Jr., which is not a good sign for him in the short or long term. The Raiders kicked the can down the road with Cody White and got lucky that a spot in the wide receiver room opened just as they were out of elevations for him.
However, such luck has not presented itself this time.
The Silver and Black would have to clear two roster spots to add both Bech and Thornton Jr. back into the fold, and they'll surely do so for the former. It remains to be seen what they'll do with the latter. Again, though, they have options. Simply:
Keep Thornton Jr. on IR for the rest of the season, ending his campaign
Cut another player to pave the way for Thornton Jr. on the 53-man roster
Trade or release Thornton Jr. (and maybe re-sign him to the practice squad?)
With Bech, it's more of a question of who exactly they part ways with, even temporarily, to bring him back into the fold. My guess is Dareke Young, but if they don't plan on activating Thornton Jr., it could also be one of the aforementioned players who are mainly special-teamers as well.
A decision must be made, and when it is, it will tell fans a lot about how the Raiders view both players.