Raiders Training Camp Opened in Henderson This Week. Here's the Real Story Behind Rookie Haircuts

July 26, 2026 · 5 min read

Fernando Mendoza and nine other draft picks reported to camp on July 23. NFL locker rooms have a long, messy history of giving rookies like him a haircut they never asked for.

• Raiders rookies reported to training camp at the Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson on July 23, with veterans arriving five days later on July 28.
• The ten-player draft class is led by No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza at quarterback, alongside notable names like safety Treydan Stukes and running back Mike Washington Jr.
• NFL training camps have a decades-long, uneven tradition of veterans handing rookies a rough haircut, and some teams have banned the practice outright in recent years.
• You do not need a locker room hazing session to show up to camp season, or just a big Vegas summer, looking sharp.

Camp Officially Opened in Henderson This Week

The Las Vegas Raiders' 2026 season began in earnest this week when the team's rookie class reported to the Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson on July 23. Veterans followed five days later on July 28, kicking off the stretch of practices, walkthroughs, and joint sessions that fill every NFL summer before the pads come off for good in September.

From here the calendar moves fast. The Raiders host the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener on August 13, travel to Houston for a joint practice and preseason game against the Texans on August 18 and 20, close the exhibition slate against the San Francisco 49ers on August 27, and open the regular season at home against the Miami Dolphins on September 13.

Who Showed Up: The Rookie Class to Watch

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, headlines this year's ten-player draft class, though the expectation around the building is that he spends this season learning behind veteran Kirk Cousins rather than starting Week 1. The more immediate roster battle belongs to second-round safety Treydan Stukes, who intercepted four passes at Arizona and is seen as the rookie with the clearest shot at real defensive snaps this fall.

Running back Mike Washington Jr. came out of Arkansas in the fourth round and clocked the quickest 40 time among backs at this year's combine, and he will compete for touches alongside Ashton Jeanty. The rest of the class, cornerback Jermod McCoy, pass rusher Keyron Crawford, offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III, safety Dalton Johnson, cornerback Hezekiah Masses, receiver Malik Benson, and defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland, rounds out a group that has to earn its spots against a veteran roster over the next several weeks.

The Haircut Tradition Running Through Every NFL Camp

Every rookie who reports to an NFL facility in July walks into a locker room with its own version of a decades-old ritual: veterans giving the new guys a haircut nobody signed up for. Tim Tebow got a monk's tonsure out of the deal during his rookie year in Denver, and years later the Broncos shaved a rat pattern into lineman Connor McGovern's head, the kind of stunt that made even the players in on the joke wince a little.

Not every team still runs it. When Vic Fangio took over as Denver's head coach, he ended the Broncos' haircut hazing tradition outright, telling reporters plainly that he did not believe in hazing. Linebacker Bradley Chubb, who had been on the receiving end of a bad cut the year before, joked at the time that he had been looking forward to getting the next class back. The Jaguars scrapped their version of the ritual around the same era for similar reasons, a sign that plenty of franchises have decided the tradition is more trouble than it is worth.

Getting Camp-Ready Without the Hazing

You do not have to be reporting to Henderson this week to want a sharper look for the back half of summer. A low-maintenance shape that holds up through heat, sweat, and a packed schedule, without a veteran teammate anywhere near the clippers, is the more realistic version of a camp-ready cut for the rest of us.

Tell your barber you want something built for movement rather than daily styling, whether that means tight sides with texture on top or a clean fade that only needs a trim every few weeks. It is the same idea the Raiders' actual rookies will be living with under those Henderson practice lights, minus the part where somebody else picks the style for you.

5 Low-Maintenance Cuts for the Back Half of Summer

None of these require a training camp roster spot, just a barber who knows how to shape texture instead of relying on daily product.

1. Skin Fade: Short, clean sides that taper down to bare skin, holding a sharp line through heat and sweat with almost no upkeep between visits.
2. Crew Cut: Enough length on top to style upward, tapered gradually on the sides, a shape that looks intentional whether you spend five minutes or none on it.
3. Warrior Cut: Short, tight sides meeting a longer, textured top, the Brad Pitt Fight Club shape that remains one of the most requested cuts of the year.
4. Textured Crop: Short, choppy layers with natural separation on top, easy to towel-dry and go without losing its shape.
5. Clean Beard Line-Up: A sharp, defined edge along the cheek and neckline that finishes off any of the above cuts without adding a single extra step at home.

Frequently asked questions

When did the Raiders open training camp in 2026?

Rookies reported to the Intermountain Health Performance Center in Henderson on July 23, with veterans following on July 28.

Do NFL teams still give rookies bad haircuts?

Some do and some do not. The Denver Broncos ended their version of the tradition under head coach Vic Fangio, and the Jaguars dropped theirs around the same era, though the ritual persists elsewhere in some form.

When is the Raiders' first preseason game?

August 13 at home against the Arizona Cardinals, the first of three exhibition games before the September 13 regular season opener against the Dolphins.

What's a good low-maintenance cut to get before a busy summer stretch?

Shapes built around texture rather than heavy styling, like a skin fade, crew cut, or warrior cut, tend to hold up best with the least daily upkeep.