The Miami Dolphins are preparing for a 17-game season, not just an opener. Most NFL teams keep things close to their chest during training camps in an effort to hide their plans, but the Las Vegas Raiders head coach may have just let his plans out of the bag.
With a little over a month until regular-season football returns, Klint Kubiak announced that Kirk Cousins is the starting QB for the Raiders, at least for now.
#Raiders coach Klint Kubiak: “When we go out to practice tomorrow, Kirk Cousins is the starting quarterback. He's the guy, and he deserves it because he's played really good football.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2026
Miami Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley was just gifted information from the Raiders' rookie HC
Kubiak is going to have a hard time backtracking to a point where rookie Fernando Mendoza gets the opening weekend start. It will take Cousins having a bad training camp to reverse course now.
The Dolphins' defense is good enough to keep Cousins in check. They had no problem beating him last year when they blew out the Falcons with Cousins at the helm.
The long-time veteran QB continues to give fans hope of a turnaround. When the games are played, however, Cousins doesn't deliver enough consistency to win football games.
This year, he isn't joining a team with better talent. There are promising young players to build around, but Cousins isn't going to elevate them at this point in his career.
Kubiak's declaration won't immediately have an impact on the Dolphins, but should Cousins start the season, the Dolphins shouldn't have a problem stopping them, even with the questions on defense.
The Dolphins' focus in training camp will be sound fundamental football. Miami's coaching staff is promoting consistency and development. They want a physical team that bullies the opposition. Regardless of who the starting quarterback is on opening day, the Dolphins are looking at the bigger and longer picture.
Miami is projected to win just 4.5 games this year. They are one full game ahead of the Cardinals, who are predicted to win 3.5. The Raiders are one full game in front of Miami.
Both teams are undergoing significant changes on and off the field. It will be interesting to see which of the two can handle their business early. The game will be played in Las Vegas, but at this point, it's not much of an advantage for the Raiders.
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