The Las Vegas Raiders have made moves this offseason to ensure the team is competitive and improve on their 3-14 record from the 2025 NFL season, which led to them securing the No. 1 pick.
Las Vegas has added major pieces like Tyler Linderbaum to upgrade its offensive line, and Jalen Nailor, who could be primed for a bigger role at wideout. Moreover, the team bolstered their defense with the additions of Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, while also keeping Maxx Crosby.
Nonetheless, the more important moves came at the head coach level with the arrival of Klint Kubiak and his coaching staff. Then there’s the QB room upgrade through the signing of Kirk Cousins and the drafting of Fernando Mendoza, No. 1 overall.
As a result, FS1 host Colin Cowherd sees many similarities between the Chicago Bears‘ offseason last year, which led to their playoff run in 2025, and the Raiders’ offseason this year.
“It’s inexcusable what Cleveland, the Jets, Arizona, and Tennessee have become, and for the record, the Raiders have been in that group, but I think their GM is super sharp,” Cowherd said on the April 24 edition of “The Herd.” “I watched that draft [on April 23], and I’m like, this is the Chicago Bears model.
“They get Ben Johnson, they fix the O-line, they’ve got their quarterback, and they just add some elements to make Fernando Mendoza’s or Caleb Williams‘ job easier. So the Raiders get an offensive coach. They’ve got their quarterback.”
Raiders Have Made Moves for Fernando Mendoza to Succeed
Moreover, Cowherd went into detail regarding how, like the Bears with Caleb Williams, the Raiders have set up Mendoza to succeed whenever the young QB takes over for the Silver and Black.
“They get the best offensive lineman available,“ Cowherd added. “Remember, the Bears went out and got Joe Thuney, and the Raiders get Tyler Linderbaum, who I love from Baltimore. It’s not that difficult. The Bears said, ‘We want more help. Let’s get a Luther Burden. Let’s get another guy.‘ They went and got Jalen Nailor from Minnesota, the Vikings, who was their third very explosive guy.
“I also think the Raiders are going to go get another wide receiver [on Day 2]. They’ve got nine picks for the rest of the weekend. To me, it’s a very Chicago Bears model. If the Raiders played in any other division, I’d have them going from three wins to eight or nine. They’ll probably go from three wins to six or seven, but this is the model. It’s not that hard.”
Kirk Morrison Gets Blunt About Las Vegas’ QB Situation
Nonetheless, with Cousins and Mendoza in the QB room, former Raiders star Kirk Morrison shared his thoughts on the situation, as the question now turns to who will start in Week 1.
“This is a different situation coming in with Klint Kubiak,“ Morrison said during an April 23 appearance on the Raiders’ YouTube channel. “This is going to be a process, and when Fernando is ready, Fernando will go out there and play. But Kirk Cousins is going to be a guy who may start as the No. 1. They always love that they can go out there and compete. That’s what training camp is for.
“We are going to be able to grade who is ready and who’s not. All of us will be at training camp. We’ll watch Fernando go through it. They can’t hide us from practice in training camp. We’re going to see if Fernando is ready. We’re going to watch the preseason.”
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