New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has announced that longtime veteran Kirk Cousins will enter training camp as the team’s starting quarterback. This is an interesting situation, as the Raiders held the first overall pick in the draft for the first time since 2007 and selected Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. As a result, both quarterbacks, along with the head coach who also calls the offensive plays, are all in their first year with the organization.
Photo Cred: USA Today
The 37-year-old Cousins tore his Achilles a few years ago and has been in and out of the starting lineup with Atlanta since then. It was even speculated that he might retire and transition into a television analyst role before the Raiders brought him in. Even when coaches or franchises spend the entire offseason insisting they plan to sit their rookie quarterback for the entire first year, recent history has shown that this rarely happens anymore.
Because of that, as well as the Raiders’ subpar roster in a strong AFC West division, there is a good chance they could be out of playoff contention with only one or two wins by November. At that point, Mendoza would likely be inserted into the lineup to gain valuable reps, as there would no longer be much purpose in continuing to play Cousins. That is, if Mendoza is not put in much sooner.
The Raiders spent an enormous amount of money during the offseason bringing in several high-profile free agents. They will more than likely need this year’s draft class to produce immediate contributors. Then repeat that success next year before they can realistically expect to compete for a playoff spot.
Photo Cred: Raiders
The Chargers, Broncos, and Chiefs all boast significantly stronger rosters and recent histories of playoff contention. The Raiders find themselves in perhaps the most difficult situation of any rebuilding team in the league because of the six divisional games they must play each season. There is no doubt, however, that much of the franchise’s future success rests on Mendoza, who is the first quarterback Las Vegas has selected in the first round of the draft since JaMarcus Russell, the previously mentioned first overall pick in 2007.
