The Raiders’ fourth training camp practice brought a little of everything on Sunday: a rough day for the top quarterback, another reminder that the coaching staff is using camp to stress-test the roster, and a wide receiver battle that keeps tightening.
The clearest storyline belonged to Mendoza, who had a difficult afternoon. The No. 1 overall pick threw an interception that Greedy Vance took back for a touchdown, and that wasn’t the only blemish on the day.
Mendoza also missed on several other throws, and he had trouble with the offense’s command at times after breaking the huddle and getting to the line of scrimmage. At one point, the coaching staff had his group go back into the huddle.
It was the kind of practice that reinforces what Mendoza and others have already said: there’s still a long road ahead. He did flash at times, as he tends to do after rough stretches, but Sunday stood out as his toughest and, in some ways, most revealing day since being drafted. It also made the Raiders’ decision to bring in Kirk Cousins look even more important, giving Mendoza time to develop without being forced into the spotlight too soon.
Sunday’s work was also notable for how targeted it was. The Raiders’ staff spent the day drilling specific pieces of the offense during team periods, with a clear plan for what it wanted to evaluate.
Each practice has had its own purpose so far, and this one was no different. The coaches are not just leaning on what the team already does well; they’re using camp to expose weak spots and get answers.
That approach feels very different from what Las Vegas has done in the past. This new staff appears to value training camp as a real teaching tool, not just a ramp-up to the season.
With a first-time head coach and plenty of new faces, the Raiders are going to have growing pains in 2026. But the idea is that Kubiak’s Raiders will leave camp knowing exactly where they stand instead of getting blindsided once the games start.
The receiver competition is another place where that philosophy is showing up. Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton were identified early in the offseason as part of a battle, but the staff has made clear that the fight extends across the whole position group.
Bech was a second-round pick last year, while Thornton went in the fourth, and the Raiders are using a by-committee setup that makes the receivers somewhat interchangeable. That also means the margin for error is thin.
Thornton did not help himself on Sunday. He dropped a tough but catchable touchdown in the end zone, the kind of play a receiver in his spot has to finish.
Opportunities are limited in camp, and even more so for wideouts. When a pass does come Thornton’s way, especially one from deep in the depth chart, it’s the sort of chance he needs to seize.
Later in practice, Thornton was seen being walked off the field by medical staff. It remains early in camp and early in his career, and he still has time to turn things around. But after this showing, questions about his future in Las Vegas are starting to surface.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]