Training camp is now officially underway for the Las Vegas Raiders, and all early signs indicate that the Silver and Black are situated for a productive set of practices. And no storyline will be more closely monitored than who is winning the starting quarterback battle.
Kirk Cousins clearly has the upper hand, but Fernando Mendoza coming through would be a pleasant surprise that Raider Nation should still hold out hope for. That said, Klint Kubiak explained in no uncertain terms during a pre-camp presser that Cousins is, in fact, the declared starter... right now.
"When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback," Kubiak stated. "He's the guy. And he's gonna get a ton of reps. And he deserves it because he's played really good football. But I want Fernando and I want Aidan to push him."
That says it all about the quarterback competition in Las Vegas.
Klint Kubiak declares Kirk Cousins Raiders' current starter, but doesn't shut the door
Saying that a veteran quarterback is the starter, especially one like Cousins, who has 15 years of experience and a history of thriving in Kubiak's offense, is far from controversial. Fans have accepted the fact that it is Cousins' job to lose and that he'll start for at least the first few games of the season.
But Kubiak also chose his words carefully. "When we go out to practice tomorrow" is a far cry from "When we take the field in Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins." His saying that he wants Mendoza and O'Connell to push him is an indicator that this battle doesn't have a true winner yet.
If the season started tomorrow, sure, Cousins would be under center. But the season doesn't start tomorrow; the Raiders have a month and a half to groom their young quarterback. Watching how Cousins operates during training camp may actually be a pivotal part of that.
According to SI's Albert Breer, the plan in Las Vegas is for Mendoza to get reps with the first-team offense in training camp, even if they are just sprinkled in. Teams with clear-cut No. 1 quarterbacks aren't doing that, but the Raiders are. What does that tell you?
Again, barring a major breakout from Mendoza in training camp or the preseason, Cousins will steer the ship to begin the year. But Mendoza learning quickly and putting on a show in front of the fans against primarily backups in the exhibition slate isn't all that far-fetched to think about.
So, is this a real quarterback competition? Yes. Kubiak's quote doesn't change that. In fact, it reinforces it. Cousins is the starter "when we go out to practice tomorrow," but not the declared starting quarterback for the season. The door is still open for Mendoza. And O'Connell, I guess.
The Raiders are perfectly fine with starting Cousins to begin the year and letting the rookie redshirt and learn from the side. But nobody in Las Vegas is going to be upset if the future arrives sooner and Mendoza is ready to go.
Obviously, the surface-level take-home message from Kubiak's quote is that Cousins is the starter. But if you read between the lines a bit and notice what Kubiak wouldn't say, you'd realize that he said it all about the Raiders' quarterback battle, which is that it isn't close to over yet.
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