Getty NFL free agent QB Anthony Gordon.
Over the last month or so, the Las Vegas Raiders have brought in a few quarterbacks for workouts. The most notable name was former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. However, no signings have been made but they appear to still be looking around.
According to Aaron Willson, the Raiders brought in former Washington State standout and rookie quarterback Anthony Gordon.
Gordon was signed by the Seattle Seahawks after going undrafted in April’s draft. He was the man who replaced Gardner Minshew at Washington State and put up even better numbers. He was second in the NCAA last year in passing touchdowns with 48. That was second only to number one overall pick Joe Burrow. He ended the season on the Second-Team All-Pac-12.
Gordon doesn’t have elite size or arm strength but he’s very accurate. He completed 71.6% of his passes last year. Those seem to be the types of quarterbacks that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden likes. He’d be an interesting developmental project for the team but they already have too many of those. Unless Marcus Mariota is going to miss more time than expected, the Raiders should just stay put with what they have.
Raiders Only Have 2 QBs on Active Roster
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Raiders have only had two quarterbacks on their active roster. If Derek Carr needed to sit out some plays, Nathan Peterman would be the guy to take over. Unless Gruden has worked some serious magic on Peterman, it could be a big problem for the team if he has to see the field.
DeShone Kizer is the only other quarterback in the building but he’s on the practice squad. He would have to get promoted prior to a game to be active. Fortunately, Carr is a pretty durable guy. He’s only missed two games in his seven seasons. That’s likely a reason why the Raiders are comfortable only having two quarterbacks on the roster. Mariota will be eligible to return after the Week 3 game versus the New England Patriots. However, the Raiders haven’t given much insight into how he’s developed.
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Carr Is Rolling
Regardless of who the backups are, none of them will be seeing the field if Carr keeps playing as he has been. He’s led the team to a 2-0 record and has looked really good while doing it. It’s clear that he has command over Gruden’s offense and has developed strong chemistry with Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow.
He still needs to build more chemistry with first-round pick Henry Ruggs, who he’s missed on a few deep balls already. If he can get his timing down with the speedy wideout, this Raiders offense could be even better. Waller and Josh Jacobs are going to eat but it’s important to get the wide receivers more involved. Carr hasn’t had a wide receiver break 1,000 yards receiving since 2016 when he had two do it.
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