HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders have not laid out a plan as to when they’ll name a starting quarterback. But the first glimpse at the full team in action showed an early hierarchy among signal callers.Kirk Cousins took all of the first-team reps at Las Vegas’ OTAs practice Wednesday, the first session open to the media. Aidan O’Connell followed Cousins, while No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza worked third and mostly with rookies during competitive periods. Each quarterback appeared to get equal snaps during team drills.The Raiders have made it clear that each player will have an equal shot at winning the job, as general manager John Spytek has said that “the best guy will play.” But with Spytek and head coach Klint Kubiak expressing their desire to not play a young quarterback right away, the veteran Cousins appears in the driver’s seat to start Week 1.“It’s gonna reveal itself, especially in training camp,” Kubiak said Wednesday of naming a quarterback. “It’s gonna reveal itself here in the next eight OTAs and these minicamp practices. We definitely would (like to name a starter), but we’ll let the players figure that out for us with their tape.”Mendoza’s positioning in the rotation is due to his inexperience in the NFL and Kubiak’s offense. The Raiders are easing the Heisman Trophy winner into the pros, and he admitted during rookie minicamp that he has a lot of learning to do when it comes to playing under center in a West Coast scheme. Working with other developing players allows him to do so on the job, while Cousins’ and O’Connell’s reps allow Las Vegas to assess the implementation of the new offense.Kubiak is pleased with the returns he’s seen from Mendoza. He made some impressive throws during practice. And when he did make mistakes — such as an overthrow of a seam route that would have been a sure touchdown — he sought out criticism from Kubiak, offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan.“Anything that you put in front of him, he’s going to attack it,” Kubiak said. “Anything that’s new, he spends extra time on it. You can tell he fixes things from one day to the next. Very coachable, and that can be said for all those quarterbacks in the room.”Cousins also made a series of strong throws during team drills. And the veteran made sure his new team felt his presence. On one play, Cousins commanded a misaligned receiver to move into the right position to avoid a failed play. And after a first-down conversion late in the session, Cousins let out an exuberant celebration.“He’s a professional,” Kubiak said. “He’s played a lot of football. He’s a leader that we’re counting on right now. You see that side of him when it gets competitive. That was fun to get that ‘move the ball’ period and get guys off of scripts and see how they respond. You see the fire come out, and that’s what I want from our guys.”
Raiders QB battle: Kirk Cousins likely QB1, but Fernando Mendoza ‘has not disappointed’
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