A very tough day at the office for one starter at training camp won’t change the plans the Raiders have
The Las Vegas Raiders won’t be moving away from Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback despite throwing two red-zone interceptions.
There are position battles all over the Las Vegas Raiders roster at training camp. But one battle that’s being promoted as a battle isn’t really a battle. The starting quarterback spot is Kirk Cousins. Now, he could lose that spot in the season, but it’s so obvious that he’s the starter for Week 1, even after a bad practice on Friday.
Kirk Cousins is still QB1 even after bad practice on Friday
Cousins threw a pair of red zone interceptions, one to Jeremy Chinn and another to rookie cornerback Hezekiah Massis, who continues to flash, on Friday. He wasn’t playing well, and you always want to make sure you have a chance to walk away with points when in the red zone, whether it’s a touchdown or a field goal. Throwing an interception in that area means no points.
These bad plays from Cousins are what led to the scuffle between him and Maxx Crosby. Crosby reportedly hit Cousins’ arm on one of the interceptions, sparking the scuffle. Cousins cleaned things up afterward and finished the session strong. But you simply cannot have two INTs in that part of the field. That’s as big of a no-no as it gets. However, you have to be glad these things are happening in training camp because it allows him to learn and fix it.
A bad day at camp is not cause for alarm. It might actually be healthy. Two years ago under Antonio Pierce, the defense dominated camp every day, and neither unit was truly tested. The back-and-forth between offense and defense signals legitimate competition. And maybe we have to consider that Cousins’s bad day is largely due to the defense playing so well.
Mendoza remains with the twos, building chemistry with Benson and the younger pass catchers. Kubiak called all three quarterbacks “NFL-ready,” a comment worth monitoring as preseason approaches. The question of how much Cousins plays in exhibition games looms large. If he sits entirely, Mendoza gets an extended runway that could change the conversation. But, for now, it’s still all Cousins.
