As the November 10 trade deadline approaches, the Las Vegas Raiders are mulling over personnel changes. While some want them to make a move at quarterback, head coach Klint Kubiak believes Kirk Cousins gives his team the best chance to win.
So, what would it take for the Raiders to insert rookie Fernando Mendoza into the lineup? It's a multilayered question with moving parts, and it's worth discussing as the team tries to avoid a five-game losing streak.
A former league director of analytics pointed out a possible misstep in one of the Raiders' recent roster transactions.
Let's dive into the potential changes for the Raiders' roster and how they may have missed an opportunity to acquire draft capital
QB market could make it difficult for the Raiders to trade Kirk Cousins
If the Raiders move on from Cousins, the best-case scenario is to do it before the trade deadline and swap him for draft capital, clearing the way for Mendoza to start for the foreseeable future.
However, Cousins' market may not be robust, and it's not just because of his slightly misleading passing numbers.
Entering Week 8, maybe two teams would show some remote interest in Cousins: the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams are in a position to make the playoffs but also have questions at quarterback.
In his first year with the Vikings, Kyler Murray has been inconsistent, throwing for three touchdowns and two interceptions in five games, but Minnesota may be willing to stick with him through the season or roll with backup Carson Wentz if its passing game doesn't improve.
The Falcons are 3-2 with Michael Penix Jr. under center and 0-2 without him. Atlanta may look to upgrade its backup quarterback position because of Penix's injury history. Backup Tua Tagovailoa has struggled since the preseason.
Aside from the Vikings and Falcons, playoff-contending teams have an entrenched starter. Clubs at the bottom of the standings are unlikely to trade for a 38-year-old bridge-gap signal-caller and would likely go with a developmental backup if the starter underperforms in the second half of the season.
Cousins doesn't seem to have a big market outside of his two former teams, and even with those clubs, he wouldn't be a surefire starter. The Raiders wouldn't get much in return for him, unless the quarterback of a playoff-caliber team suffers an injury within the next week.
Can Trey Zuhn III seize starting right guard job?
Rookie third-rounder Trey Zuhn III has taken first-team reps at right guard this week. He spoke about the opportunity to start.
"The team believes that I can get those reps there, so I'm gonna take those reps and be confident," Zuhn III said to reporters. "I know I can do it."
Offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko commented on what Zuhn has shown the coaching staff.
“Hard worker," Janocko said via Raiders.com's Levi Edwards. "He’s very attention to detail mannered, but he keeps striving for different opportunities.”
At Texas A&M, Zuhn mostly played left tackle, but the Raiders cross-trained him at center, right guard and right tackle. With prized free-agent acquisition Tyler Linderbaum at center and DJ Glaze having a bounce-back year at right tackle, Zuhn could carve out a role at right guard.
Jackson Powers-Johnson opened the season as the starting right guard, but Kubiak benched him after Week 5. Second-year pro Caleb Rogers started in the last two games, but he's struggled in pass protection, allowing five pressures, including two sacks, per Pro Football Focus.
If Zuhn has a decent showing against the New York Jets, he could be the starter for the rest of the season, given his Day 2 draft status.
Did the Raiders release Jonah Laulu too early?
Ryan Paganetti, a former analytics director who spent time with the Raiders last year, knows how NFL front offices work. He also worked with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Philadelphia Eagles during their last Super Bowl run.
Paganetti believes general manager John Spytek could've traded defensive tackle Jonah Laulu instead of outright waiving him.
"If six teams put in claims on a player you cut, you probably could have got value in a trade for the player. Interesting how the league views the player differently than Las Vegas, as DT remains a need for the Raiders," Paganetti posted on X.
Laulu's release was somewhat surprising after he showed signs of development as an interior pass-rusher, recording 11 pressures and four sacks last season. Yet his snap count dropped below 27% before the team cut him.
Spytek may have tried to trade Laulu, but to no avail. However, he could've waited until the trade deadline to see if teams in need of a defensive tackle would make an offer after missing out on top trade targets.
Ultimately, the Tennessee Titans claimed Laulu. The Raiders may have been able to get a late-round pick for him, but Paganetti raises a point that may speak to Spytek's inexperience or haste in letting go of a player who was productive in a rotational role last season.
Moe Moton writes about the Raiders for Just Blog Baby. You can follow him on Twitter at @MoeMoton.
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