Raiders Rookie Fernando Mendoza Working With Third-String at OTAs Behind Cousins, O’Connell
The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback room is more crowded than your local pizza place on a Friday night, and rookie Fernando Mendoza is starting from the back of the line.
According to multiple beat reports out of Henderson, Mendoza is working with the third and fourth string units during OTAs while Kirk Cousins runs with the first team and Aidan O’Connell takes second-team reps. That is a clear hierarchy and a real reset for a rookie expected by some fans to compete for the starting job from Day 1.
New Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak addressed the situation Wednesday, and his comments were measured. “Fernando has not disappointed,” Kubiak said. “The timeline for the QB competition is going to reveal itself, especially in training camp.”
That is coach-speak for two things. First, Mendoza has done what is asked of him so far. Second, nobody is rushing him onto the field before he is ready, and the team has a plan for how to evaluate the rookie against the veterans over the next several months.
Mendoza was a first-round pick out of Indiana, and he was a polarizing prospect throughout the pre-draft process. Some scouts saw a future franchise quarterback with rare arm talent and easy mechanics. Others saw a player who relied too much on talent and not enough on processing, and who would need time to adjust to the speed of the NFL.
The Raiders front office bet on the upside. Now they have to be patient with the development. Throwing Mendoza into the deep end with the first team this spring would have been satisfying for fans, but it would have been bad coaching. Rookies need to crawl before they walk, especially in an offense as detail-heavy as Kubiak’s.
Cousins is the bridge here. The 37-year-old veteran was signed to a deal that gives Las Vegas exactly what they need: a competent starting quarterback who can keep the offense functional while Mendoza develops. Cousins has been a model professional in every stop, and he knows his role in Las Vegas is part starter, part mentor.
O’Connell is the wild card. He has shown flashes during his time with the Raiders, and he has a real argument as the team’s best quarterback for the past two seasons given the circumstances. He is also not a long-term option, which means his role this year is to push Cousins and not get in the way of Mendoza’s growth.
The Raiders are betting on a slow burn approach. Cousins starts Week 1. Mendoza watches and learns. By midseason, the rookie might be ready to take some snaps in a controlled environment. By Year 2, the keys belong to him.
That is the plan. Plans rarely survive the NFL season intact.
Cousins could get hurt. Mendoza could light it up in training camp. The Raiders could fall out of contention by Week 6 and decide they have nothing to lose. Any of those scenarios accelerate the timeline.
For now, the reps speak for themselves. Cousins is the guy. Mendoza is the future. O’Connell is hanging around. And Klint Kubiak is doing the smart thing, which is letting his rookie cook at a low temperature until he is ready.
Raiders fans should be patient. The team finally has a quarterback room with both a present and a future, even if the future is still wearing a redshirt.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
