Quarterback trio
The Raiders decided it was in their best interest to carry three quarterbacks on the active roster in Kirk Cousins, Fernando Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell.
Klint Kubiak expressed he’d be putting a lot of thought into this decision, seeming like the most logical decision for the team. While Mendoza was drafted with the No. 1 pick in hopes of becoming the team’s franchise quarterback, the Silver and Black will have two other options in the room with starting experience to help the rookie settle into the league.
“It’s learning from Kirk’s reps, from Aidan’s reps,” Klint Kubiak said of Mendoza after preseason finale. “Very valuable for him to get all those reps. … I thought overall, in this preseason, that we got him plenty of time. I’m happy with where he’s at, but we just got to keep pushing him to be better.”
While a starting quarterback hasn’t been named yet, signs point to Cousins who had the best preseason showing of the three. In his two preseason starts, the four-time Pro Bowler completed nearly 77% of his passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.