The Raiders don’t have to apologize for the setup in Week 1. Against the Dolphins, Las Vegas walks into what looks like a friendly matchup on paper, and that’s exactly why Kirk Cousins is under the microscope. If the veteran quarterback can’t turn this into a clean win or at least a strong showing, the conversation around him is going to get loud in a hurry.
There’s plenty in place for Cousins to work with. The Raiders are expected to lean on Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. on the ground, but they’ll still need enough production through the air to keep Miami from crowding the box.
It’s also the first chance for fans to see Cousins against another team’s starters, which adds a little mystery to the equation. Still, the overall edge appears to tilt toward Las Vegas in coaching, experience and personnel.
The biggest gap may be the one at quarterback experience. Cousins has started 174 games in his NFL career.
Miami’s entire roster has a combined 608 starts. The Dolphins also bring 14 rookies and 18 undrafted players into the building, and they’re the NFL’s youngest team.
That kind of imbalance makes this look like a game Cousins should handle if he’s going to justify being the Raiders’ starter.
Miami’s secondary is described as the worst in the league on paper, which only raises the pressure on Cousins to take advantage. Even without Brock Bowers, he should have opportunities.
The Raiders should be able to run the ball, and if the offensive line holds up, Cousins may not see much heat. Chop Robinson is the lone Miami front player who stands out as a real threat to get after the passer, and the expectation is that Cousins should stay fairly clean.
Bowers being out is still a significant loss, and there’s also the question of how healthy Jeanty is. But the Raiders’ passing game shouldn’t be reduced to one option anyway.
Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Geno Smith have all helped Bowers post exceptional numbers, which makes it harder to excuse failure elsewhere. With Bowers unavailable, Cousins will have to show he can work with Michael Mayer, Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and the backs.
That’s the real point of this opener: no built-in excuses. Las Vegas has the experience edge, the home crowd, a run game to support the offense and a Dolphins defense that looks vulnerable.
If Cousins plays well, nobody is going to throw a parade over it, but he’ll keep the pressure from building. If the offense stumbles, the noise around Fernando Mendoza starts immediately.
As for Mendoza, the answer to when fans might see him is simple in theory and messy in practice: when he’s ready. The problem is that he isn’t getting many, if any, reps during the week, so the timing will be tied heavily to how Cousins performs early. Even if Cousins struggles against Miami, a quarterback change that fast still feels unlikely.
The Raiders would prefer to keep the rookie on the sideline as long as possible, but that only happens if Cousins gives them enough reason to stay patient. In that sense, he probably needs a strong run over the first month of the season to keep Mendoza parked on the depth chart. If that doesn’t happen, the team may start shifting toward the rookie, even if the schedule gets brutal at that point.
For now, though, the path is clear. Cousins can quiet the whole discussion with a solid outing against a weak Dolphins team and carry that momentum into the opening stretch of the season. If he doesn’t, the uncomfortable questions won’t wait long.
In Other News...
Raiders May Need An Unproven Answer While Brock Bowers Sits
The Raiders are already sketching out ways to keep their offense functional if Brock Bowers is forced to miss meaningful time, and one of the more interesting options involves a player who has never actually lined up at fullback before. Connor Heyward, who came into the league as a tight end with the Steelers, has given Las Vegas enough versatility in the preseason to make coach Klint Kubiak think he can handle a broader role in the offense.
For a team that leans heavily on Bowers presence, the idea of asking an unproven piece to absorb some of that workload speaks to both the challenge ahead and the flexibility Kubiak is trying to build. Heywards fit will be worth watching because the Raiders may need more than a standard backup plan if they want to keep the offense on schedule while Bowers is out. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Just Got A Telling Sign About Their New O-Line Depth
The Raiders kept reshaping their offensive line room this week, claiming guard Bryce Cabeldue while moving on from Atonio Mafi, who was claimed by the Tennessee Titans. Las Vegas also traded Jordan Meredith to the New York Jets, another reminder that the group up front is still being reworked as the organization looks ahead to 2026.
What stands out is how much of the 2025 line is already gone from the active roster. Alex Cappa, Will Putnam, Stone Forsythe, Mafi and Meredith are no longer with the Raiders, a run of turnover that points to a front office trying to upgrade the depth and reset the room. Whether the new mix is enough to stabilize the line is still the bigger question, but the early signs show the Raiders are treating that spot as a real priority. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Are Still Paying For One Brutal Drafting Era
The Raiders are still living with the long tail of the Josh McDaniels-Dave Ziegler era, a 22-month run that cost the franchise a staggering amount in guaranteed money and left behind a draft class the team is still trying to sort through. The 2022 and 2023 classes are a big part of that ledger, with first-rounder Tyree Wilson, tight end Michael Mayer and edge rusher Byron Young all tied to a period that never had much chance to settle in.
Mayers recent three-year extension offers a small hint of stability in a part of the roster that was supposed to be rebuilt quickly, but it also underscores how much of the evaluation from that stretch is still being written. Wilson remains a focal point, Mayer is now part of the future, and the questions around the 2023 draft, including the scrutiny that followed the Byron Young selection, are another reminder that the Raiders are still paying for decisions made when the front office and coaching staff were turning over at a rapid clip. [Read more 🡒]