Raiders Quarterback Suspended After Practice Fight

In Henderson, Nevada, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive end Maxx Crosby were suspended from team drills after they brawled during practice. This incident gave rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza his first chance to lead the starting offense during training camp.

Raiders coach Klint Kubiak emphasized the team’s expectations, stating, “We have very clear expectations about how we want to practice, how you go about our business. We violated that yesterday, so we held those guys out. That’s all I’m going to say about it. We addressed it with the team and we’re moving on.”

The fight broke out as Cousins reacted angrily to Crosby tipping his pass, which led to an incompletion. Teammates quickly intervened to separate the pair.

The Raiders do not have practice on Sunday and will return on Monday morning. Kubiak hopes that Cousins and Crosby will continue to compete without any altercations.

Mendoza Faces Off with First-Team Defense

With Cousins sidelined on Saturday, Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, drafted first overall out of Indiana, capitalized on his opportunity. He completed touchdown passes to tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, as well as to wide receiver Tre Tucker. While Mendoza showed agility in avoiding defensive pressure, he missed some passes against the starting defense.

Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan praised Mendoza’s progress, stating, “Fernando continues to improve, and the thing I think we’re very pleased about is from spring to the start of camp, there were some parts of this game we wanted him to improve upon and he has as we’ve added different layers and dimensions. He’s not repeating mistakes, which is always a good thing. It’s a long process. We’re pleased with how he’s developing.”

Mendoza is expected to lead the first-team offense later in camp, and Saturday’s chance was timely with the Raiders’ preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday. While Kubiak has not announced the quarterback lineup, Mendoza is likely to see early action. Though Cousins is anticipated to be the season starter, no firm commitments have been made.

Sullivan added, “The visual and verbal communication he’s made, certainly the ability to take snaps under center, those are things we’ve seen him improve upon. He’s going to continue to work on and we want him to still want him to be even better. But we’re pleased with where that’s at right now.”

Injury Updates

On the injury front, wide receiver Jalen Nailor returned to practice after missing Friday due to an unspecified injury. However, defensive ends Kwity Paye and Keyron Crawford, along with wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., remained sidelined.

Caleb Rogers, who is in competition with Jackson Powers-Johnson for the right guard position, seemed to injure his left arm or elbow but was able to return to practice. Rogers said, “I feel great,” though he did not share further details.

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