Raiders Working Through Early Growing Pains During Training Camp

The Las Vegas Raiders' front office left no stone unturned as they looked to improve their roster this offseason. The Raiders added at least one player at nearly every position group on the roster. No position group was as impacted by Las Vegas' offseason moves as its group of quarterbacks.

Raiders' QB Room

Aidan O'Connell is the only quarterback who remains from the past few seasons of Las Vegas game of musical chairs at quarterback. The respective additions of Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza have given Las Vegas the best quarterback room they have had in years.

Through the first three days of camp, the Raiders have put all three of their quarterbacks in various situations that exposed their individual strengths and weaknesses. As is normally the case this early in camp, Las Vegas' offense has had its ups and downs in practice.

Early in the Process

The Raiders are in the process of implementing a new offensive scheme under a new head coach and offensive coordinator. Growing pains are to be expected, and the Raiders' coaching staff would prefer to get as much of that growth out of the way during camp as possible, rather than in the regular season.

Sunday's training camp practice was the roughest practice Las Vegas' offense has had in training camp. However, they hope those challenging days will lead to overall progress as the upcoming season draws closer. Mendoza recently explained the process.

“I believe that the entire quarterback room is competing with each other. We're all trying to bring each other's standard up. Whether it's Aidan [O’Connell], Jacob [Clark], Kirk [Cousins] or me, we're all trying to bring each other's standards up. For me, it's only day two of training camp. I believe we all trust Coach [Klint] Kubiak, Coach [Andrew] Janocko and Coach [Mike] Sullivan and the decisions they make,” Mendoza said following training camp.

“I'm focused on just the next rep. How can I get better? There's some mistakes I made out there today that I want to improve for the next time. I'm going to do that by asking the coaches, by asking Kirk, by asking Aidan, by asking Jacob and by being able to ask those veteran leaders in the room. I think it's a beautiful thing that we're all pushing each other's standard up.”

Each of the Raiders' three quarterbacks is facing their own battles in training camp, as they look to help the offense as a whole progress. Cousins is tasked with leading an offense he is largely new to, considering his new coaching staff and roster.

Mendoza is the No. 1 overall pick who has been designated to a reserve role to begin his rookie season. He faces the most work of all three quarterbacks as he transitions from college to the professional ranks. Then, there is O'Connell, who continues to prove his value.

Early in camp, it has been interesting to watch each quarterback experience both successes and struggles. Those struggles are just as much a part of building the team as anything else. Las Vegas' offense is still in the beginning stages of putting all the pieces together.

As they all work on their individual development plans, they have also worked together to help make the most of camp.

Jun 9, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (15) and Kirk Cousins (8) throw the ball as assistant head coach Mike McCoy (left) watches during minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“It's been fun. Obviously, when you're in a quarterback room, you spend a lot of time with each other, talking about football a lot, but also talking about life a lot too," O'Connell said after training camp.

"So, it's been fun to get to know those guys on a personal level, and I think then when you do talk about football, it's a better relationship because of that. And we can all learn from each other. We've all seen different things and had different experiences. So, I think it takes a growth mindset from each one of us, and I think that's what each of us have."

Las Vegas had a solid offseason and has had a solid training camp so far. However, the growing pains most offenses face at this point in the offseason were on display in the team's most recent practice.

Yet, those early struggles may end up turning into a positive for Las Vegas soon enough.

Add us as a preferred source on Google