The Las Vegas Raiders changed jersey colors Sunday for practice at Intermountain Health Performance Center.
They didn’t change first-team quarterback reps.
With the offense in white, the defense in black (compared to the inverse in the first 11 practices) and passers clad in non-contact red, Kirk Cousins quarterbacked the first-team again — fielding every snap beneath or behind center. Fernando Mendoza led the second-team offense and Aidan O’Connell quarterbacked the third-team offense two days after coach Klint Kubiak said he was thinking about how to divvy the first-team reps.
The Raiders practice once more Monday and travel to Houston for practice Tuesday against the Texans, whom they’ll play Thursday in the second of three preseason matchups.
“Things shouldn’t change,” Kubiak said about preparing for Houston after Sunday’s practice, the 12th of training camp open to reporters though he said the Raiders practiced Saturday, too. “The intensity is going to ramp up but the standards we have here should carry over to Houston.”
Here are observations from Sunday’s practice:
Mendoza steady with the second team: Cousins was decisive with the first team again, connecting downfield with wide receivers Tre Tucker and Jalen Nailor a couple times apiece. The defensive line applied steady pressure and got the better of the offensive line on several plays with defensive end Maxx Crosby setting the tone.
Mendoza with the second team rekindled his connection with rookie wideout Malik Benson, to whom he completed his longest pass of training camp. With Benson isolated against Hezekiah Masses and tasked with a go route down the left sideline, Mendoza lofted him a rainbow pass that he jumped to catch over the rookie corner.
That after Mendoza and Benson reprised their Thursday pass and catch for 19 yards against the Arizona Cardinals. Following run-fake atop his dropback, Mendoza delivered a dart to Benson, who settled in the middle of the secondary to score a chunk gain.
Mendoza was in rhythm underneath with short passes to backs and receivers, though he fumbled a snap under center (and practiced with backup center Will Putnam on the sideline afterward) and threw a should’ve-been-an-interception to linebacker Tommy Eichenberg over the middle.
O’Connell threw a touchdown to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, who caught a short slant and outpaced the secondary.
Crosby fast and forceful … again: Uniformed but kept out of preseason play Thursday, Crosby orchestrated defensive disruption with equal parts speed, strength, savvy and smack talk. He would’ve recorded at least one sack of Cousins and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.
He also pressured right tackle DJ Glaze into Cousins one play as he set to throw, forcing an incomplete pass downfield. In a drill devoid of wide receivers — as they were working one-on-one against the defensive backs, catching passes from the quarterbacks — pitting the fronts against one another, he forced rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. to fumble.
Right guard rotation continues: Jackson Powers-Johnson manned the majority of reps again at right guard, rotating with Caleb Rogers toward the end of practice. When asked directly if Powers-Johnson has separated himself at right guard — after starting there Thursday and playing the majority of the first-team reps throughout training camp — Kubiak said “no.”
Defensive backs continue to shuffle: Darien Porter played first-team cornerback opposite top corner Eric Stokes while Masses teamed with Decamerion Richardson at second-team corner. Rookie safety Treydan Stukes continues to work with the first-team defense, easing his way into extensive reps.
Brock Bowers, Tonka Hemingway out: Tight end Brock Bowers was excused from practice for a personal reason, per Kubiak, who said defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway was cleared to rest. Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. didn’t practice but was on the field working with a staffer.
Tight end Carter Runyon missed another practice.
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
