Overview
- Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said he will not name a Week 1 starter after Thursday’s preseason action and stressed that Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins will keep competing for the job.
- Rookie Fernando Mendoza had an up-and-down first-half start on Thursday, completing 8 of 15 passes and throwing an 80-yard pick-six, while Aidan O’Connell relieved him and led a 19-point second-half comeback that has put three-quarterback roster carries into discussion.
- The Browns split snaps between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders in joint practice with the Bills, giving coach Todd Monken more film to assess both quarterbacks as the competition remains unresolved.
- Joint practices and exhibition games produced immediate depth hits: Browns defensive end Alex Wright was carted off with a lower-leg problem and Chargers center Tyler Biadasz suffered an ACL concern, moves that teams say will affect early roster construction.
- San Francisco used limited starter reps and leaned on depth in a 41-17 preseason win, with rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling emerging as a notable contributor and prompting teams to weigh preseason performance heavily ahead of cutdown day.