When the Las Vegas Raiders signed Kirk Cousins in the offseason, it was obvious the plan was to start him while they brought rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza along slowly. Cousins is a veteran who has worked with head coach Klint Kubiak in the past.
He has also started a ton of games, which had to be appealing to a rookie head coach. In Week 1, things looked decent. Cousins threw three touchdown passes. However, he only threw for 160 yards and tossed two interceptions.
The veteran really struggled to throw the ball down the field, only completing one pass of over 10 yards. It didn’t hold the Raiders back against the Dolphins, but it could be a problem against other teams. Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick never had a big arm. He knows how that can limit the offense and is concerned this could quickly become a problem for the Raiders.
“Kirk Cousins has been a great quarterback over his career,” Fitzpatrick said on “Fitz & Whit.” “I don’t think his arm strength has ever been crazy, but I think it’s not what it once was, even a couple of years ago. … When teams watch that, and they say, ‘Okay, we gotta stop Ashton Jeanty. Let’s make Kirk Cousins beat us to the outside down the field.’ I think it’s gonna get more difficult for them as an offense.”
Fitz breaks down the good and the bad of Kirk Cousins and the Raiders after Week 1 👇
How Long Before Raiders Turn to Mendoza?
While the downfield throwing is a big concern, the Raiders aren’t going to panic and make a change after a decisive win. The schedule is about to get very tough, so they’ll get a clear picture of what they have in Cousins.
The Raiders will likely give him a somewhat long leash. The team’s next six games are against teams that were either in the playoffs last year or teams expected to be in the playoff mix. They get some reprieve in Week 8 when they play the New York Jets, but then the following three games are against playoff teams from last season.
Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns could be the ideal time to put Mendoza in if Cousins just isn’t working out. The Browns are one of the worst teams in the NFL, and the following week is the bye. They’d let Mendoza get his first action against a weak team, and then he’d have a week off to absorb everything he’s learned. The back half of the Raiders’ schedule is filled with divisional games and weaker teams. If they’re out of the playoff mix by Week 12, there’s no reason not to give Mendoza some experience.
Cousins Can Still Take Hold of Starting Job
Not having a downfield passing attack will limit the Raiders’ offense, but it doesn’t mean they can’t still win. If Cousins can limit the interceptions, his chances of keeping the starting job are much stronger.
The Raiders really don’t want to throw Mendoza to the fire yet, but if he’s the better quarterback, they’re going to have to play him eventually. The idea of giving him a redshirt season is good in theory, but it wouldn’t be bad to give him some real game reps later in the season.
Former NFL QB Has Worrying Message for Raiders on Kirk Cousins