| Player: Mendoza, Fernando Position: QB Team: LVR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| News for Mendoza, Fernando |
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ESPN’s Ryan McFadden reports Raiders coaches want Fernando Mendoza to improve his timing and anticipation. 2026-08-19 10:00:02 This comes on the heels of Mendoza impressing Vegas coaches in his preseason debut, completing ten of his 16 attempts for 97 yards and a touchdown against Arizona. Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak said after the game that the team’s Week 1 starting gig was still Kirk Cousins’ to lose. It appears Mendoza, with another solid preseason performance, could challenge for that top spot. Kubiak will be watching the rookie’s anticipation closely when Vegas takes on the Texans on Thursday. |
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Raiders HC Klint Kubiak said “all three (QBs) deserve first team reps” this week after Thursday’s preseason game against the Cardinals. 2026-08-14 14:00:03 Kubiak didn’t come right out and say Mendoza could see more first-team reps, but it feels like things are trending that way. His response came after he was asked if Mendoza specifically deserved more first-team reps after a nice outing in his first taste of preseason action, to which Kubiak said the team will put together a plan to ensure all three QBs get first-team reps, which feels somewhat evasive and unrealistic, given that we know career backup Aidan O’Connell isn’t contending for a starting job in camp. Kubiak went on record after Thursday’s game, saying that the battle for QB1 remains Kirk Cousins’ to lose. It wouldn’t be surprising if Mendoza did see more first-team reps in the coming days, but we would be surprised if O’Connell began working in with the first team. That said, it will be worth monitoring Mendoza’s first-team reps going forward, as he could still push Cousins for the starting role before Week 1. |
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Fernando Mendoza completed 10-of-16 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Cardinals. 2026-08-14 00:00:02 Mendoza took over for Kirk Cousins on the Raiders’ second drive. New Raiders coach Klint Kubiak had Mendoza lining up under center and running play action, and the No. 1 overall pick responded by successfully threading the needle on tight window throws to both WR Malik Benson and Jack Bech. He also checked down to fellow rookie Mike Washington when needed. Mendoza’s score was a six-yard strike to Bech, with the second-year wideout turning the grab into a tumbling plunge into the end zone. It was a solid start for a rookie who is evidently going to begin the year on the bench. |
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Raiders team reporter Levi Edwards believes QB Fernando Mendoza’s footwork and mechanics have noticeably improved since rookie minicamp. 2026-06-09 22:00:03 Raiders coaches have asked Mendoza to learn the intricacies of taking snaps from under center, which is something he rarely did in college. After practice today, Raiders assistant head coach Mike McCoy said Mendoza “has done a phenomenal job playing under center.” Mendoza feels like he is “leaps and bounds” ahead of where he was just a few months ago, but is still working on timing up his footwork “a little better with the routes.” The sooner he masters the little things, the sooner the Raiders will name him the starter. For now, the team maintains that QB Kirk Cousins is their QB1. |
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An ACC coach who faced QB Fernando Mendoza said Mendoza lacks “NFL traits.” 2026-05-05 11:00:02 “He’s a good decision-maker, but I don’t think he’s got the NFL traits,” the coach told ESPN anonymously. “They’re all back-shoulder [throws]. That’s not working in the NFL. His receivers made plays to make him look better than he is. In the NFL, those throws are getting picked off.” Conversely, a Big Ten coach told ESPN Mendoza is “one of the more complete quarterback prospects he has seen.” Mendoza, the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after leading the Indian Hoosiers to their first-ever college football title, is widely expected to start the season on the bench behind Kirk Cousins. How long Mendoza waits for the starting gig likely depends on Cousins’ performance in Klint Kubiak’s offense. |