3 takeaways from Raiders' offensive assistants

Jun 02, 2026 at 04:44 PM

Digital Team Reporter

On Tuesday afternoon, the Raiders' offensive and defensive coaching staff spoke with the local media.

Here are three takeaways from speaking with the offensive coaching staff, which includes quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan, running backs coach Omar Young and offensive line coach Rick Dennison.

1. Kirk Cousins raising the bar for young quarterback room

The Raiders quarterbacks room seems to be a cohesive unit while still remaining extremely competitive.

The Silver and Black added three players in veteran Kirk Cousins and rookies Fernando Mendoza and Jacob Clark. They join Aidan O'Connell, who's racked up 17 starts in his three seasons. Obviously, Mendoza has garnered the most attention out of the four considering he was selected with the No. 1 pick. However, he's still in the process of earning more reps on the practice field in OTAs.

"He's done of good job of keeping his poise," quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan said of Mendoza, "not panicking and finding an open target. So we'll continue to work and get him to grow and develop and pleased with where he's out right now."

While Mendoza continues to develop throughout this offseason, Cousins has been instrumental not just for the No. 1 pick but the room in it's entirety. The four-time Pro Bowler worked with Klint Kubiak for three seasons at the Minnesota Vikings, and threw for 12,089 passing yards and 94 touchdowns in that span.

"He's a pro," Sullivan said of Cousins, "and that term gets thrown around loosely at times, but he really embodies that and he's brought that professionalism in here as well as his experience within the system. ... He's always looking to contribute in the meetings, he's helpful with the other quarterbacks. It's a great room."

2. Deuce trending in right direction

Ashton Jeanty is coming off a promising rookie campaign in which he led all rookie running backs in rushing yards (975). His yards came with a price, as nearly 60% came after contact.

There is an emphasis throughout offseason workouts to make sure Jeanty thrives and continues to grow in his role as the lead back.

When asked about his upcoming workload for 2026, Jeanty said, "if I don't have to, I don't want to come off the field." According to running backs coach Omar Young, the second-year player is doing all the right things to ensure that rings true.

"Being able to protect, being able to better pass catcher, being able to make the simple plays in the run game – those are the things we're working on right now," Young said.

"And those are the things he's been attacking. It's been great to see his attitude and his effort of like, 'Hey man, I have to get in condition. I have to get in shape in order to do the things that I'm saying I want to do.' And he's been doing a great job of that, so it's been fun to see."

3. Man in the middle setting the standard for offensive line

Offensive line coach Rick Dennison doesn't like the term "rebuild."

Despite inheriting an offensive line that surrendered the most quarterback sacks to opposing defenses in 2025, he's bringing a clean slate mentality to the trenches and is working to get the most out of his unit in OTAs to carry over into the season.

"We're going to play football," Dennison emphatically told local media. "I don't know where we are or where we'll start, but we're playing football right now."

While the front office didn't completely rehaul the O-line, a major offseason addition has been Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, who's expected to play a pivotal role spearheading the offense.

"He's obviously a very talented player, but he takes command of the group," Dennison said. "On the ball he makes all the calls and that's imperative for us. The center is the only one that can tie both sides together and he's done that very well over the time we've had him. ... Everybody follows, he leads and they follow."

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Las Vegas Raiders tackle Dalton Wagner (78) at an Organized Team Activity (OTA) at Intermountain Health Performance Center.