Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is maintaining ambiguity regarding the team's quarterback depth chart as the regular season approaches. Despite rookie Fernando Mendoza being drafted first overall and widely expected to be the heir apparent to veteran Kirk Cousins, Kubiak has not yet named him the primary backup.
On Sunday, the Raiders finalized their 53-man roster, which includes three quarterbacks: Cousins, Mendoza, and Aidan O'Connell. O'Connell, a 27-year-old with three seasons of NFL experience, made the cut, adding to the competition for backup duties.
Kubiak has stated that all three quarterbacks are "ready to play" and that decisions about the order of the depth chart are ongoing. "It's going to be some hard decisions on who's 1, who's 2," Kubiak said prior to the final roster decisions. "That's not a decision we have to make today, but those are discussions that are ongoing."
Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner and top overall draft pick, has had an inconsistent preseason. In the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers, he completed 7 of 14 passes for 57 yards and threw an interception. He also took two sacks, which he attributed to the need to play faster in the NFL. "It's the NFL, there are monsters on the other side of the ball and you need to get the ball out quick," Mendoza said. "It teaches you, you need to play on time, and there's less margin for error. So I think it's a great experience having that heat and duress because diamonds are built under pressure."
O'Connell, who has appeared in 21 games for the Raiders over the past three seasons, completed 3 of 9 passes for 32 yards in the preseason finale without surrendering a sack. Cousins, a former Pro Bowl selection, took the majority of snaps during training camp, and his role is expected to increase as the season begins.
The Raiders signed Cousins to a one-year, $11.3 million deal earlier in the year. Mendoza won a national championship and the Heisman Trophy during his college career at Indiana before being selected by the Raiders in April's NFL Draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders will open their regular season on Sunday, September 13, at home against the Miami Dolphins.