The Raiders aren't ready to hand Fernando Mendoza the offense just yet. But the No. 1 overall pick took another significant step Friday when Klint Kubiak confirmed he will enter Week 1 as Kirk Cousins' backup.
The Las Vegas Raiders aren't ready to turn their offense over to Fernando Mendoza just yet.
But their prized rookie quarterback moved another step closer to the field Friday.
Head coach Klint Kubiak confirmed that Mendoza will serve as Kirk Cousins' backup when the Raiders open their season against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Veteran Aidan O'Connell will be the team's No. 3 quarterback.
It's another meaningful step in the development of the No. 1 overall pick.
Mendoza spent the preseason making his case for the starting job, while O'Connell provided Las Vegas with another experienced option at the position.
Cousins ultimately won the job, allowing the Raiders to take a more patient approach with their quarterback of the future.
The 22-year-old showed flashes during the preseason, completing 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in his debut against the Arizona Cardinals. But he also experienced the kind of growing pains expected from a rookie quarterback.
Mendoza threw an 80-yard pick-six against the Houston Texans before settling down to complete 8 of 15 passes for 86 yards. He then completed 7 of 14 passes for 57 yards in the preseason finale against San Francisco.
Kubiak stressed throughout the preseason that Mendoza needed repetitions and experience as he adjusted to the NFL.
Now the Raiders have seen enough progress to make Mendoza the backup, putting him, as Kubiak described it Friday, "one play away" from entering a regular-season game.
That doesn't mean Cousins' hold on the starting job has suddenly weakened. The 38-year-old veteran will lead the offense Sunday, and the Raiders have given no indication that Mendoza's promotion to No. 2 comes with a timetable for eventually taking over.
But the move does establish an important pecking order behind Cousins.
O'Connell has already started 17 games during his three seasons with the Raiders. Las Vegas could have kept that experience immediately behind Cousins while letting Mendoza develop without the risk of being thrown into a game unexpectedly.
Instead, the Raiders will have Mendoza ready if Cousins has to come out Sunday.
For a franchise that selected Mendoza first overall with the expectation that he will eventually become its starting quarterback, that's a small but significant step toward the future.
