No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza is officially set to make his preseason debut on Thursday night.
Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Las Vegas’ starters will play in this week’s matchup against the Cardinals, which means Kirk Cousins is set to be the first QB on the field.
But Mendoza, Kubiak said, will get “plenty of experience in the game.”
“Look forward to seeing him out there with his teammates,” Kubiak said. “A lot of guys we need to evaluate — he’ll get plenty of reps.”
Kubiak did not disclose his exact plans for playing time this week, but there is a chance Mendoza will take some snaps with the first-team offensive line.
Generally, Kubiak said he’s seen Mendoza continue to grow throughout training camp.
“It’s been a really impressive training camp as far as how he’s prepared,” Kubiak said. “And then he goes out there to practice and things don’t happen on the drawing, on the paper in the playbook exactly as they do on the field. So, I think he’s done a good job of adjusting. And with all of our players, we just ask that as they gain experience as they make mistakes, they don’t make the same mistake twice. I think he’s done a good job of that and now it comes to live bullets, with a live pass rush and that will be a whole ‘nother animal.”
Kickoff between the Raiders and Cardinals is slated for 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Read the full article here
