Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins and defensive end Maxx Crosby were sidelined from team drills on Saturday. This decision followed an altercation between the two during practice the previous day.
Coach Klint Kubiak addressed the incident, emphasizing the team’s strong standards for practice conduct. “We have very clear expectations about how we want to practice and how you go about our business,” Kubiak stated. “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.”
Details emerged that Cousins was angry after Crosby tipped his pass, resulting in an incompletion. The quarterback then charged Crosby despite the defensive end’s size advantage. With Sunday as a rest day, Cousins and Crosby are set to return to practice on Monday, with hopes for no further incidents.
With Cousins out, rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza took center stage on Saturday. This was his first opportunity to lead the starting offense in training camp. He threw touchdown passes to tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, as well as wide receiver Tre Tucker. Mendoza faced challenges against the first-team defense but demonstrated good agility under pressure.
Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan expressed satisfaction with Mendoza’s progress. “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,” Sullivan commented. “He’s not repeating mistakes, which is always a good thing. It’s a long process. We’re pleased with how he’s developing.”
Kubiak had assured that Mendoza would get a chance with the first-team offense at some point. It coincided with the upcoming preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, where Mendoza might see significant playing time. Cousins is likely to start the season, but no guarantees have been made regarding the quarterback position. The team plans to give Mendoza a chance eventually during the season.
Injury news highlighted wide receiver Jalen Nailor’s return to practice. He had missed the previous day due to an unspecified injury. However, defensive ends Kwity Paye and Keyron Crawford and wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. remained sidelined.
Caleb Rogers, contesting the right guard position with Jackson Powers-Johnson, suffered a suspected arm or elbow injury but returned to the field. “I feel great,” Rogers said, without providing further details.