Raiders QB outlook right now
By: Jake Rajala
The Las Vegas Raiders have a legit quarterback battle on their hands. Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza were both lethal in Week 1 of the preseason. Captain Kirk went 5 for 6 and one touchdown. It was smooth sailing for Cousins. Mendoza stood strong and went 10 for 16 and had one touchdown. Cousins had a 141 passer rating, while Mendoza had an 100.3 passer rating.
With that enunciated, the question is: who will be the starter?
Right now, I have to imagine that Cousins is the leader to be the QB1. He is accurate and has impressive command of the huddle. It isn’t the end of the world if Mendoza needs to sit for a year. Let’s not forget that Patrick Mahomes was the backup to Alex Smith for a season.
If Cousins struggles, I believe that they would still keep him. He is too old to be an intriguing trade prospect, as he’s 37 years old.
I did really like that Fernando was a star in the short passing game. They don’t have many deep threats, so they will need their QB to stand out in the short passing game to Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker. Mendoza also has the sneaky speed to take off for a first down. It’s similar to the underrated speed that Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan has.
I can’t believe the Raiders would bring in another “quality” QB to compete with Fernando and Cousins. I even believe Aidan O’Connell will likely lose his job if he has another dreadful outing. He went 4-13 and had a rating of 55.
I’d love to see them bring in another WR, however. Tyreek Hill and Keenan Allen are still available. The draft is far away, but I expect them to target a WR in it.
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