Kubiak is under no requirement to name a starter for Week 1, when the Raiders take on the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 13, at this point. Frankly, the coach made it clear before the draft that he planned to start a veteran to open the season, and every action has spoken loudly enough that he doesn’t need to beyond stamping it in stone.
From the onset of the offseason, Kubiak and the rest of the staff have discussed Mendoza’s development over the long-term. Given the strides needed to make in transition from a shotgun-based offense to Kubiak’s scheme, which involves significantly more under-center and play action work than the rookie experienced in college, it was always going to take time.
The reason the Raiders sought out Cousins, who worked under Kubiak in Minnesota and played better down the stretch last season than some analysts would have you believe, was to give them a bridge while Mendoza works things out. Nothing we’ve seen during the preseason or heard from Kubiak changes the calculus.
The rookie had another mixed-bag outing on Thursday night. Mendoza’s lively arm and ability to fit the ball into tight windows are NFL-level. However, he showed that there are certain aspects he needs to get comfortable with in order to function as a starter.
The QB went 7 of 14 for 57 yards with an INT and took two sacks over five drives (30 plays) against San Francisco.
The interception came on Mendoza’s second pass of the game. It’s significant that it was a play-action drop back from under center. While Kubiak suggested that wideout Jalen Nailor, who got a hand on the ball before Niners linebacker Tatum Bethune intercepted it, should have caught it, the pass being just a smidge off from Mendoza after he turned his back on the defense is part of the learning curve. According to Next Gen Stats, Mendoza went 1 of 4 on all play-action attempts Thursday night for six yards with the INT. He was also 2 of 5 on passes from under center.
It wasn’t just the under-center work that Mendoza showed he needed improvement. The QB also took two sacks and was pressured six times. Some of that was on the young quarterback, who was slow to identify rushers.
“It’s the NFL, there are monsters on the other side of the ball and you need to get the ball out quick,” Mendoza said. “It teaches you, you need to play on time, and there’s less margin for error. So I think it’s a great experience having that heat and duress because diamonds are built under pressure.”
Mendoza isn’t the first QB to need an incubation period before he’s ready for live action in the NFL. Sure, No. 1 overall picks usually start in Week 1 — the last to not was Baker Mayfield in 2018 — but the list of quarterbacks benefiting from time on the sideline is lengthy. The reality is that every player is different and benefits in different ways. The Raiders must trust that Kubiak will do what is best for Mendoza and the club in the short and long term.
It would be a stunner if Cousins isn’t under center in Week 1. Given all that we’ve seen and heard, Kubiak likely doesn’t feel the need to name a starter to open the season, because right now it should be pretty obvious.