Why Raiders Are Ready To Finally Turn the Page

Las Vegas' front office left no stone unturned this offseason. Both their roster and coaching staff saw mass turnover, a much-needed aspect of any rebuild. Moving on from the past few seasons required a total reset that will take years to complete, but this offseason was a strong start.

Of the multiple positions that have plagued the Raiders in recent seasons, quarterback has been the one position they have struggled to figure out the most. This summer, they did all they could to eliminate it as a concern. Doing so led to the addition of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.

What Cousins Brings

Las Vegas has struggled at the quarterback position for several reasons. Although many of those reasons involve things outside the quarterback's control, the Raiders' front office addressed most of them with other roster moves this offseason.

Over the past few months, the Raiders' front office addressed their offensive coaching, offensive line, and the quarterback position. The supporting cast has been improved along with Cousins, whom Las Vegas believes is an upgrade over their most recent back of signal-callers.

Those additions should make life much easier for Cousins than the long list of quarterbacks they have trotted out onto the field lately. Yet, as Kubiak noted, the improvement of the supporting cast goes hand in hand with the improvement Cousins is expected to bring to the position.

"I think the number one thing is thick skin. You been through a lot of wins and losses, success, failure. Anybody that's played that much football has had a lot of failure and has failed forward. I see Kirk [Cousins] in that light,” Kubiak said before Wednesday's practice.

Cousins' Leadership

Cousins will lead a quarterback room that has been years in the making. His years of experience alone exceed those of any other quarterback the Raiders have tried in recent seasons. That, combined with his prior experience with Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko, will be invaluable.

The skills Cousins has developed during his time in the league are what the Raiders need for the early stages of the Kubiak era. It remains to be seen how long his run in the desert will last, but for now, it is fair to believe Cousins may exceed expectations, as he has for most of his career.

“I think it's always going to be about some of the same things no matter what time of the year it is or who you're playing. You've got to lead well. You've got to elevate the other 10 guys in the huddle and the rest of the locker room with the way you lead and your presence,” Cousins said.

“You've got to be tough physically, mentally, emotionally. You've got to protect the football, and you just have to run the operation well. And I think if you do that, the plays will come to you. But this game is played one play at a time, and that's the mindset I've always felt helps me best is to just take that one play at a time approach."

As the Raiders move through their first season under Kubiak, they are sure to have their fair share of growing pains and frustrations. However, they hope Cousins can help ensure that the quarterback is only one small part of the natural issues that will arise under new leadership.

Cousins' performance will be a key factor in how this season goes, as he will either keep them competitive long enough to prove they have improved or pass the torch to the team's future franchise quarterback.

All eyes will be on Cousins when they take the field for their Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.