Raiders release Gurd ahead of cutdown day
Klint Kubiak trimmed one roster spot Friday and still won't spend one word on his starting quarterback, even after a finale that answered the question for everybody watching.
Kubiak still won't say the word
Kirk Cousins went 8 of 11 for 51 yards across two series against the 49ers on Thursday, and Fernando Mendoza went 7 of 14 for 57 yards and threw an interception, and Klint Kubiak still stood at the podium afterward and said, "I still don't think we need to name anybody," per Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com, as Barstool Bush covered. Asked specifically about the rookie, Kubiak added that Mendoza "needs another three preseason games" — games the Raiders don't have left — and that the shrinking practice-rep pool as the season nears works against him. A week earlier, after the Texans game, Kubiak had floated that the job was Cousins' to lose before pulling back again, telling reporters, "You know, we got another week playing."
📽️📽️ 8.28 Breer Report 📽️📽️ ⏩ Fernando Mendoza and the @Raiders QBs. ⏩ Expectations for Justin Herbert. ⏩ All that's happening with the @RamsNFL. FULL VIDEO: t.co/Y27ul6w9qm
It isn't only the top of the depth chart that's murky. Kubiak was asked Friday who his backup quarterback will be to open the season and wouldn't rule out Aidan O'Connell landing ahead of Mendoza, per ProFootballTalk. That's a real subplot for a team that spent an early premium pick on Mendoza: the rookie may not just lose QB1, he might open the year third string. Cousins remains the guy everyone around the league expects to start Week 1 at Miami, but Las Vegas is getting there the slow way.
📽️📽️ 8.28 Breer Report 📽️📽️ ⏩ Fernando Mendoza and the @Raiders QBs. ⏩ Expectations for Justin Herbert. ⏩ All that's happening with the @RamsNFL. FULL VIDEO: t.co/Y27ul6w9qm
The finale went 18-12, and mostly answered nothing
The preseason closed with an 18-12 loss at home to the 49ers on Thursday night, the Raiders' second loss in three games to finish 1-2 in the exhibition slate. Matt Gay made four of five field-goal attempts in the loss, which tells you most of what you need to know about how this one went: field position instead of touchdowns, all night.
49ers12-18
Texans22-20
Cardinals14-27The passing game stayed quiet even with the starters mixing in. Tre Tucker caught all three of his targets for 25 yards, Jalen Nailor brought in two of four for 13, and Michael Mayer caught both of his looks for eight yards — nobody popped, but Tucker's clean night is worth remembering once the games count. On the ground, Mike Washington Jr. carried eight times for 49 yards, the best individual number on the stat sheet all night, while Malik Benson and Jack Bech were each targeted once and came away with nothing.
The 53-man trim has started
The cuts have started arriving. The Raiders are releasing tight end/fullback Patrick Gurd, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports, with Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston first with the news. It's a minor name, but it's the first domino before Sunday's leaguewide deadline, and McFadden is already previewing the bigger decisions still to come at cutdown.
#Raiders are releasing TE/FB Patrick Gurd, per source. (@AaronWilson_NFL with it first).
The one hold-your-breath injury note belongs to Ashton Jeanty. The rookie running back is dealing with an ankle injury being monitored heading into Week 1, but Kubiak said the Raiders are "counting on him" to be available, per Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official website. Given how much of this offense is supposed to run through him, that's the injury update that actually matters more than any 90-man trim.
A season opener against a Dolphins team starting over
The Raiders open the regular season Sunday afternoon vs. the Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium, and Miami arrives in genuine flux: the franchise fired Mike McDaniel in January and handed the job to Jeff Hafley, the former Packers defensive coordinator, on a five-year deal (per NFL.com and ESPN). The Dolphins finished their own exhibition slate 0-3, most recently falling 12-17 to the Falcons, which makes Las Vegas's 1-2 preseason look almost tidy by comparison.
The line opened at -3.5 with the Raiders favored, and the total was set at 40.5 — a number that reads low-scoring for a first game under a new coaching staff still installing its systems on both sides. Whichever quarterback Kubiak eventually says out loud gets his first real answer against a Miami defense that's still finding its shape.