After a week away from the rookie report card, the Las Vegas Raiders’ first-year class returned to the page with plenty of movement after the Week 8 win over the New York Jets and the Week 9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The biggest winners were Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy, while Mike Washington Jr. took a hard hit in the grading department.
The Raiders also entered a new quarterback chapter, with the weekly Mendoza Meter hitting 10 after Sunday. That lined up with the team shipping off Kirk Cousins and naming Fernando Mendoza the starter.
Stukes turned in the kind of game that gets noticed fast. He earned an A after a strong showing against San Francisco, capped by an incredible interception of Brock Purdy.
He also held up well against the run and didn’t give up much through the air. His season GPA now sits at 2.83 through eight games.
McCoy matched that level with an A of his own, delivering what amounted to a breakout performance. He stayed active in the cornerback rotation and made two standout pass breakups, one in zone and one in man coverage.
He was also better against the run, even if he wasn’t perfect. His season GPA is now 2.16 through eight games.
Trey Zuhn III also continued to make his case as a useful piece up front. The right guard, now the starter, posted a B+ despite leaving Sunday’s game with a concussion. Outside of two complete whiffs in the run game, he handled his business and logged several strong reps in both pass protection and run blocking.
Washington Jr., on the other hand, had a rough afternoon. After taking over the RB1 job in Week 8 and looking good there, he slid back behind Ashton Jeanty.
Against the 49ers, he carried six times for minus-3 yards. One of those runs was wrecked by poor blocking, but the rookie didn’t create much himself and didn’t impact the game.
That earned him a D-.
There were a few other notable entries on the card as well. Zeke Masses received a D+ after playing just 12 defensive snaps, but making his presence felt in the wrong ways.
He recorded a handful of tackles and a run stop, yet also allowed a 37-yard touchdown and missed a tackle. He’s now being overtaken by McCoy.
Tim Keenan III came away with a C- and the kind of note that suggests steady work without much flash. He’s a solid interior presence who eats up space in the middle, but he doesn’t exactly jump off the screen either way.
Now that he’s on the active roster, the question is whether his snap share keeps holding where it has been. The answer so far seems to be that he must be doing something right.
Elsewhere, Keyron Crawford remains on season-ending IR, Dalton Johnson did not play and carries a season GPA of 1.3 through one game, Malik Benson was inactive for a second straight week and owns a 2.10 season GPA through seven games, and Brandon Cleveland is still on the practice squad.
In Other News...
Fernando Mendoza Enters A New Raiders Role With Huge Expectations
Fernando Mendoza has stepped into a new role for the Raiders with the kind of attention that comes with being handed the offense in-season. After Kirk Cousins was moved out of the picture, Mendoza took over as Las Vegas starting quarterback and has already gone through his first full practice in the job, a key early test as he settles into the routine that now comes with leading the huddle.
Mendoza has also made clear he appreciated the time he spent alongside Cousins, crediting the veteran for his support during their overlap. Now the focus shifts quickly to game week and a matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, where the Raiders will get their first real look at how Mendoza handles the pressure and pace of being the guy. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Put Fernando Mendoza In A Spot That Will Test Everything
The Raiders are handing Fernando Mendoza his first NFL start in a spot that arrives with immediate pressure attached. After sending Kirk Cousins to Minnesota ahead of the trade deadline, Las Vegas is turning to the rookie and asking him to step into the job without changing the identity of the offense, even as the challenge gets significantly steeper.
Head coach Klint Kubiak said the Raiders will stick with their offensive approach with Mendoza under center, which says plenty about how they want to handle the transition. It also sets up a revealing first test for the rookie, because the team is not easing him in with a scaled-back plan, and the matchup waiting for him should tell a lot about how ready he is for the speed and demands of the league. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Are Handing Fernando Mendoza A Brutal Early Test
The Raiders latest stumble left the offense searching for answers, and the timing could not be much tougher. A loss to the 49ers in which Las Vegas coughed up five second-half turnovers underscored how fragile things have become on that side of the ball, and the front office quickly made a move at quarterback by sending Kirk Cousins to Minnesota for a 2027 third-round pick.
Now the spotlight shifts to rookie Fernando Mendoza, who is lined up to start against the Seahawks and Broncos. It is a demanding stretch for any quarterback, let alone one trying to steady a team coming off a turnover-plagued defeat and a roster reset under center, and it will tell plenty about how quickly the Raiders think he can handle the job. [Read more 🡒]