Raiders still waiting on official QB1 call as training camp focus centers on Kirk Cousins

The Las Vegas Raiders are still waiting on an official starting quarterback decision, even as training camp has increasingly pointed to Kirk Cousins as the internal favorite to be named QB1. According to Pro Football Rumors, Cousins has been viewed as the primary contender throughout the summer, and preseason action has not created evidence that would significantly alter that expectation.

As of late August, the Raiders have not released a team-wide confirmation that Cousins will be the Week 1 starter. The distinction matters because “who is likely” and “who is officially named” are not always the same thing in the NFL, particularly when a staff wants to avoid locking in a label before the final roster and game-plan details are settled.

Pro Football Rumors frames the situation as a holding pattern, suggesting the decision process is ongoing rather than stalled by a clear on-field takeaway. The outlet also indicates that preseason work has not surfaced a reason to believe Cousins will be kept off the field for the season opener, which aligns with how camp narratives tend to form around reps, preparation, and continuity.

The back-half of August is typically when franchises compress their decision-making window, even if announcements do not arrive immediately. Raiders fans and observers will be watching for whether the team’s quarterback designation changes in the days leading up to the regular-season opener, or whether the coaching staff continues to leave the door open in public while acting decisively in practice.

For Las Vegas, the QB1 conversation is also a roster-building exercise. Whether the Raiders finally announce Cousins as the starter or continue with a cautious approach, the staff’s choice shapes how the offense is installed, how early-week quarterback-specific adjustments are made, and how the team communicates roles to the rest of the depth chart.

There is also a leadership component to an official naming. When a quarterback is formally designated, it tends to tighten the message across the locker room, influences game-week preparations for offensive and special teams units, and gives the coaching staff a clear baseline for how it wants the offense to look under pressure.

Still, this is a football decision that must be earned by performance, not just camp perception. The Raiders’ lack of an official label means the staff is still keeping its options available, at least in the public-facing sense, and that leaves room for the team to point to specific practice or preseason observations before making the final call.

For what to watch next, the key will be whether Las Vegas moves from expectation to confirmation before Week 1. If the Raiders continue to avoid a formal QB1 announcement, reporters and fans can still reasonably track who is handling the majority of first-team reps and how the team’s play-calling indicates who the offense is being built around.