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The wait is over and Oakland Raiders football is back. Well, at least preseason football. While this first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams won’t be as exciting as week one against the Denver Broncos, it will be the first time we’ll have a chance to see a lot of new players hit the field wearing silver and black.
Head coach Jon Gruden has stayed pretty quiet about which players will and won’t make an appearance in Saturday’s game. The only thing that seems unlikely is that tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Antonio Brown will suit up.
“You’re not going to see some of the starters,” said Gruden when asked if he planned to have anybody sit out. “We’re gonna take a look at some young players, some guys that need the opportunity.”
Will Derek Carr Play vs. Rams?
Based on Gruden’s comments, it seems like it’s entirely possible that quarterback Derek Carr will sit this game out. However, it’s also a possibility that he’ll play at least one drive. In 2018’s first preseason game against the Detroit Lions, Carr got to play one drive and went 2-4 for 11 yards. He has a lot of new weapons, so Gruden might want to give Carr a chance to work with them a little bit this offseason. Vic Tafur at the Athletic is reporting that it will be all Glennon and Peterman tonight and he’s reliable when it comes to Raiders news.
The Raiders spent a couple of days practicing against the Rams. Gruden may have seen enough from those practices to where he won’t need to have the starters play. There are a lot of young guys on the roster that will be fighting to stay on the team. Carr could throw a few passes in a brief appearance, but don’t be surprised if he sits this one out. We’ll update you when the team announces anything.
Update: Derek Carr will not play tonight, according to Levi Damien of Silver & Black Pride.
Derek Carr not suited up. Won’t play as expected. #Raiders
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Mike Glennon vs. Nate Peterman
One battle to watch this preseason is for who is going to be Derek Carr’s backup. Mike Glennon hasn’t been nearly as bad as Nate Peterman in his career. Glennon actually doesn’t have terrible career numbers. He’s thrown 35 touchdowns to only 20 interceptions over the course of five seasons. Glennon has started in 22 games in his career, so he’s got decent experience for a backup. The Raiders know how important it is to have a good backup after Carr’s injury in 2016 derailed a potentially deep playoff run. Glennon will probably get the start tonight if the team decides to sit Carr.
Peterman has only played two seasons but has been absolutely dreadful in all of his appearances. He’s played in eight games and has thrown three touchdowns to 12 interceptions. For some reason, Gruden has this weird infatuation with him, but that seems to be overblown. If Peterman doesn’t outperform Glennon than he’s either going to be the third-string guy or get cut from the team. The preseason is the chance for backup quarterbacks to thrive. Glennon and Peterman will get significantly more snaps than Carr over the next month. According to Gruden, Peterman has improved so it’ll be interesting to see how he’s developed.
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