The calls for Fernando Mendoza to be the Las Vegas Raiders‘ starting quarterback in Week 1 are starting to intensify. In his first preseason action against the Arizona Cardinals, he looked ready to play.
However, the Raiders brought in Kirk Cousins so that Mendoza didn’t have to play too much as a rookie. There’s plenty of debate surrounding the notion of starting a rookie quarterback.
If the Raiders were further along, it would be less of a debate, but the coaching staff would likely rather see Cousins take a beating early in the season than risk hurting Mendoza’s development.
Mendoza still has a chance to start in Week 1, but a recent decision would suggest Cousins still has the edge. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders plan to start Mendoza in the second preseason game against the Houston Texans. He will play the whole first half, while Aidan O’Connell plays the second half.
It appears that Cousins won’t suit up. Now, Mendoza is a rookie who needs more reps than the veteran, but it is notable that Cousins is going to sit out. That could mean that he’s still the favorite to be the starter in Week 1. Anything can happen, but the former Pro Bowler appears to still be holding off the exciting rookie for now.
Raiders Still Plan to Start Cousins
Regardless of who starts at quarterback in Week 1, the Raiders have to feel good about Mendoza. He’s done well in practice and preseason games. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport expects to see him get plenty of chances to show what he can do in the coming weeks.
“Well, it sounds like Fernando Mendoza is going to be poised to play a lot and we really have seen an uptick in his reps, with the ones specifically, over the last let’s say week or so,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football.” “When I was there in Las Vegas, because Kirk Cousins was really not practicing, [Mendoza] took all the reps with the ones, looked really impressive. In the joint practice, took a little more against the Houston Texans. Of course took a little more reps with the ones. Sounds like he acquitted himself pretty well.”
However, Rapoport still believes that the plan is to start Cousins.
“The reason they signed Kirk Cousins, the reason they paid him all that money, was to start for as long as he can and that still is the plan for the Las Vegas Raiders,” Rapoport added. “… Gonna happen tonight, gonna happen when the season begins. But the reps are coming for Fernando Mendoza and I would not be surprised to see multiple quarters of play in tonight’s game.”
No Need to Rush
Even if Mendoza is the better quarterback right now, there really isn’t any reason to rush him onto the field. The hope is that he’s the team’s starting quarterback for the next decade.
The Raiders roster still needs a lot of work before it can realistically compete in the AFC. There’s no harm in bringing Mendoza along slowly, but starting him too quickly could hurt his development.
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