The Las Vegas Raiders may have everyone watching the quarterback battle between Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, but the bigger concern might be sitting somewhere else on the roster.
Quarterback is always the spotlight position in the NFL, and the Raiders’ offseason storyline has made that even more true. Still, the way this team is built goes well beyond who lines up under center. A quarterback can only do so much if the rest of the roster isn’t pulling its weight, and that’s why the Raiders may need to shift some attention away from the passing game for a bit.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports recently identified one position every NFL team should examine before the roster deadline, and for Las Vegas, he pointed to linebacker as the area that needs the most help.
“Las Vegas brought in former Georgia teammates Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker to solve the long-standing problem at linebacker,” he states in the piece. “Depth beyond those two is relatively unproven and could be addressed.”
That’s the real issue here: the Raiders may have a starting-level answer, but the room behind them doesn’t look nearly as settled. If injuries or inconsistency hit, the team could be thin in a hurry.
Edwards also noted another spot worth keeping an eye on.
“Tight end is another area to monitor.”
So while the Cousins-Mendoza competition will keep drawing attention, the Raiders may be wise to shore up linebacker first. Tight end remains on the radar too, and that would also give both quarterbacks another key target option.
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