Things are changing for the Las Vegas Raiders in a major way with Kirk Cousins traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Fernando Mendoza is going to be the starting quarterback going forward, which could either be a step back or a great thing for the team.
With the Cousins trade getting pushed through, the Raiders had an open roster spot. Las Vegas announced that they are signing veteran defensive tackle Tim Keenan to the active roster.
– Signed DT Tim Keenan III to the active roster
– Signed DT Chris Williams to the practice squad
#RaiderNation | @RaidersKeenan joined the Raiders at the start of the season and has been active for the last three games. He even notched his first sack of the year against the New York Jets. The Raiders couldn’t elevate him from the practice squad anymore, so they had to put him on the active roster if they wanted him to keep playing. Since the Raiders aren’t exactly stacked at defensive end, giving the spot Cousins left open to Keenan made a lot of sense.
Las Vegas also signed defensive tackle Chris Williams to the practice squad. He has been in the NFL since 2020 when he was an undrafted free agent signing of the Indianapolis Colts. He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns,
Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons in his career. He has played in 46 games, so he brings some solid experience to the Raiders.
Raiders Not Punting on Season
Typically, if a team were to trade their starting quarterback who is second in the NFL in touchdown passes, it’d be looked at as if they were giving up on the season. However, the Raiders have a unique situation.
As good as Cousins has been, he’s not the future at quarterback for the franchise. Fernando Mendoza was the No. 1 pick in the draft for a reason. Raiders general manager John Spytek made it clear that the trade was more of a vote of confidence in Mendoza than it was about the team giving up on the year.
“This is for Raider Nation and this entire building: This in no way signifies that we are punting on this season or looking ahead to 2027,” Spytek said in a press conference after the Cousins news broke. “That is not the intention.
“We have a big game this week against the defending world champions, and we intend to attack it like we would any other week. That’s expected of us, from ownership, from Raider Nation, and from this entire building. We want to make sure that’s clearly stated.”
Can Raiders Be Better With Mendoza?
On paper, Cousins’ stats have been very good, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Raiders’ offense can be limited by what he’s able to do at times.
He has a hard time stretching the field at this stage in his career, which allows defenses to stack the box and make it harder to run. Mendoza has a live arm, so that won’t be a problem anymore. Mendoza is also capable of making plays with his leg, which is something Cousins can’t do at his age.
It remains to be seen if the Raiders will be better, but there’s no doubt that they’re more interesting now.
Raiders Sign Veteran DT to Active Roster, Add Ex-Chiefs Defender