The first week of Raiders training camp has already produced a telling line about Klint Kubiak’s impact, and it came from a veteran who has seen enough to know when a team is pulling in the same direction.
Punter AJ Cole said the group’s sense of purpose has changed quickly under the new coach. “It does seem to feel like we have a cohesive vision, a collective buy-in, and I think that the number of people swimming in the same direction is definitely in an all-time high,” said Cole, per Ryan McFadden of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
That kind of comment stands out because Las Vegas looked lost for much of last season. The Raiders finished with the worst record in the league, a finish that put them in position to take quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza out of Indiana with the top pick in this past NFL Draft.
The roster has also been reshaped at quarterback. The Raiders added Kirk Cousins in free agency, and he is expected to open the season as the starter before the job eventually shifts to Mendoza at some point sooner or later.
There has been another notable development at camp involving Maxx Crosby. The star pass rusher was initially traded to the Baltimore Ravens before the deal was rescinded because of a failed physical, but the early reports from camp say he has looked like the Pro Bowl version of himself.
Las Vegas is set to begin the season on September 13 at home against the Miami Dolphins.
In Other News...
Raiders Already Have A Quarterback Question They Didnt Want This Soon
The Raiders entered the offseason with a clear plan at quarterback, bringing in veteran Kirk Cousins and then using the first overall pick on Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who arrived with the kind of expectations that usually come with a franchise reset. Head coach Klint Kubiak has already said Cousins will open the season as the starter, but the dynamic in practice is obvious enough: Mendoza and Aidan OConnell are there to make sure nothing is handed over lightly.
For Las Vegas, the question is not whether Cousins can hold the job in September, but how long the team can resist the pull of a younger option if the rookie keeps flashing. The Raiders have seen this movie before, when a veteran started out front and the long-term answer eventually came into focus, and that history is part of what makes this competition worth watching now rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Receiver Battle Just Got More Complicated For Dont'e Thornton
The Raiders fourth training camp practice was supposed to be another step in sorting out the offense, with the staff spending time on specific offensive looks and continuing to evaluate how the quarterback room fits together. Mendoza had a rough day overall, including an interception that was returned for a touchdown, while Kirk Cousins remains firmly in the mix as part of the teams quarterback plans.
For Dont'e Thornton, though, the competition at receiver grew a little more complicated. The rookie is still working through the usual camp growing pains and has time to develop, but practice brought an unfortunate missed chance on a throw he could have finished off. Before the session was over, he was also seen walking off the field with medical staff, leaving one more layer of uncertainty in a battle that was already going to be watched closely. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Rookie Trey Zuhn Is Suddenly A Real Starting Threat
Trey Zuhn arrived in Las Vegas with plenty of draft-day buzz, and it is only getting louder as the Raiders continue to show how much they value the rookie. Selected in the third round, Zuhn has quickly become more than just a developmental piece on the board, with reports describing the team as very high on him after the draft.
What makes the situation interesting is how aggressively the Raiders were willing to approach the possibility of landing him in the first place. Even now, there is still some uncertainty about whether Zuhn will be in the starting lineup before the season begins, but the fact that Las Vegas was willing to explore extra draft capital to get him says plenty about where he stands on their depth chart plans. [Read more 🡒]