Raiders' Saturday Training Camp Gave Glimpse Into the Future

There were more than a few interesting parts of the Raiders' most recent practice. Below are a few notes.

Mendoza With and Against the Starters

The biggest thing that happened at practice on Saturday was Las Vegas' coaching staff holding Kirk Cousins and Maxx Crosby out of team drills, paving the way for Mendoza to get plenty of action with the rest of Las Vegas' starting lineup on offense and against the Raiders' starting defense.

It was a sight to behold, as neither had happened often up to this point in training camp. Mendoza's practice on Saturday was a glimpse into the future, as the Raiders continue to gradually develop the No. 1 overall pick ahead of what should be a successful career.

While playing with and against starters, Mendoza showed promise, completing several impressive passes. He also showed a need for further development, which is to be expected from a rookie quarterback halfway through his first training camp.

The Raiders will start the season with Cousins leading the way. However, Saturday was a reminder that Mendoza's time will inevitably come and that it could come much sooner than anyone expects. Kubiak recently gave insight into the Raiders quarterback situation.

“I mean this honestly, I'm not really married to any position. We’re a new staff here, we're trying to establish something, and there's got to be competition everywhere," Kubiak said following training camp.

"We'll just sit here and let the tape reveal itself. We know that with Aidan O’Connell too, we got three NFL-ready quarterbacks, so we need to keep getting all of them ready to play.” 

Offensive Line Taking Steps

Heading into the offseason, the Raiders' most significant area of need was their offensive line. After making the necessary coaching staff and roster changes to help fix the unit, Las Vegas' offensive line has been one of the primary focuses of training camp so far.

Las Vegas' offensive line has been largely solidified, with nearly all of its starters being set in stone. Still, the unit is still working on timing, amongst other things. Raiders offensive line coach Rick Dennison recently shared his thoughts on where his unit stands as they work through training camp.

“Everybody's competing, we're just starting out. I mean, this was the second day pads. With offensive line, you can't really tell how they're going to be in shorts. They need to have pads, they need to work together,” Dennison said. 

“So, in our drills, we're working everybody with everybody, but we're just kind of starting out right now and everybody's really working hard and competing, trying to get the calls right, the verbiage and then obviously the techniques. We're not even through our install yet. We've still got a couple more days of putting our base stuff in, and then we'll pull and keep moving guys around."

Jeanty/Running Game Putting the Pieces Together

There were again multiple times in practice that Jeanty registered big runs against a defense that prides itself on stopping the run first. As talented as Jeanty is and as much work as he put into executing those plays, it is evident that this coaching staff will emphasize his skill set.

More importantly, it is evident that Kubiak's staff will put Jeanty in the best position to succeed. Unlike last season, Jeanty's success will largely be decided by his ability and the ability of Las Vegas' offensive line to execute at a high level.

In camp, it is apparent that Jeanty and his teammates on offense believe in what Kubiak is trying to do. That belief should make it easier for them to execute when the time comes. After years of struggling to run the ball, Las Vegas may no longer be one of the worst rushing teams in the league.