Kirk Cousins took another step toward being the Raiders’ Week One quarterback on Thursday night, and Klint Kubiak didn’t do much to muddy the picture after the preseason opener.
Cousins was sharp in limited work, completing five of his six passes and tossing a touchdown. Afterward, Kubiak made it clear that the veteran has the inside track to open the season under center, even if he stopped short of handing him the job outright.
“Kirk’s been getting the reps with the ones. I think he’s had a solid training camp and it’s his job to lose,” Kubiak said.
That leaves first overall pick Fernando Mendoza in a different stage of the process. Mendoza also found the end zone, finishing 10 of 16 for 97 yards, but the rookie showed the kind of rough edges that still need sanding down. One of those mistakes came on a sack Kubiak said he should not have taken.
Mendoza did help put together a scoring drive, but Kubiak said the rookie still has plenty to clean up, especially when it comes to operating the offense.
“He led a good scoring drive,” Kubiak said of Mendoza. “As far as getting and out of the huddle, commanding the group, getting the play calls down, I saw the same guy I see in practice. I saw an ascending player who’s got to keep getting better.”
The Raiders still view Mendoza as their long-term answer at quarterback. For now, though, the path is pointed elsewhere. Unless something changes, September 13 against the Dolphins in Las Vegas looks like Cousins’ assignment.
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Raiders Rookies Face Their First Real Test Under Klint Kubiak
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For the rookies and younger players, the first real test is likely to come in the areas that can decide roster spots quietly but decisively. Kubiak has already mapped out a structured plan for who will play and when, and he has singled out special teams as a place where newcomers can separate themselves as the Raiders start sorting out who can hold up when the intensity rises. [Read more 🡒]