HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Raiders' offensive line is far from proven, no wide receiver has emerged as a true No. 1 and a rookie could be the starting running back entering the season.
Probably not the ideal situation to start a first-year quarterback, but players drafted first overall -- as Fernando Mendoza was -- usually join a team with a lot more questions than answers.
And there are plenty with Las Vegas.
Could that be a factor for when Raiders coaches decide to start Mendoza? He likely will be the backup to Kirk Cousins when the season opens Sept. 13 against Miami.
“They’ve all got to get ready,” coach Klint Kubiak said. "Whoever is playing quarterback for us, it’s a team thing. It’s not the QB playing well and everyone else is not or the other way around.”
The Raiders' offense last season was statistically the worst in the NFL. Las Vegas' averages of 14.2 points and 245.2 yards per game were each last in the league.
It didn't help that the Raiders' offensive line also was statistically at the bottom, but management hopes that is no longer the case. The club signed three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum to the richest contract ever for an interior offensive lineman. Kolton Miller, who missed all but four games last season because of an ankle injury, is one of the league's best left tackles.
But how much the Raiders improve up front remains a question, particularly at right guard where Jackson Powers-Johnson is competing with Caleb Rogers for the starting role.