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We can file this one from Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden under the “freezing cold takes” section. The Buffalo Bills opted to release second-year quarterback Nathan Peterman on Monday, a player who’s struggled mightily with turnovers in his young career. After his release was revealed, it didn’t take long for old takes on Peterman to come to light.
At this point, whether fair or not, many have classified Peterman as a failed experiment for the Bills. And whatever hype was behind the 24-year-old as he entered the league as a fifth-round pick back in 2016, Gruden only added to that back around draft time.
In a story he ran on ESPN, Gruden had some high praise for Peterman when he was an NFL analyst with the company. He offered a few takes on the former Bills quarterback, including stating that he was the “draft’s most pro-ready QB” and has “no red flags.”
1. Peterman is the draft’s most pro-ready QB
Peterman is ready to walk in and be a contributor from day one. He just looks like a pro quarterback — coming out of the huddle, running an offense with different formations, shifting, motioning, different patterns that other colleges don’t run.
Peterman will recognize route combinations and associate formations. Most importantly, he will be able to get in a huddle from day one and look at 10 grown men and tell them where to go and what to do and handle a versatile snap count. He has a vast amount of experience, not only in running different offenses but dealing with a lot of different teammates in the huddle.
Along with stating that Peterman was a “consistent down-to-down performer,” Gruden also compared him to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.
Nathan Peterman’s NFL Struggles
We can rope together Gruden’s 2018 coaching struggles with Peterman’s on-field struggles to make it easier. In all seriousness, the former Bills quarterback just couldn’t stop tossing interceptions at various points in his career. He’s completed 52.3 percent of his passes in eight games over two seasons while throwing for just 548 yards, three touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
That touchdown-interception ration would result in any quarterback likely losing their roster spot, but Peterman has also posted a combined 32.5 quarterback rating over two seasons. For what it’s worth, Peterman’s interception numbers are somewhat inflated by a game in 2017 against the Los Angeles Chargers in which he threw five. But even taking that one showing completely out of the equation, the numbers aren’t pretty.
It’ll be interesting to see if/when Peterman finds a new NFL home.
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