Getty NFL free agent QB Jack Coan.
The Las Vegas Raiders have a secure quarterback situation with Derek Carr as the starter. He rarely gets hurt and has just missed two regular season starts in his career. However, the backup situation is a bit concerning.
Jarrett Stidham is the only other quarterback on the active roster. He knows Josh McDaniels‘ system well but has never started a regular season game. The Raiders could be in serious trouble if he’s forced to play at all. The team does have rookie Chase Garbers on the practice squad but he’s still an unknown. Interestingly, the team could be looking into bringing in another quarterback to shake things up.
Per the wire, the Raiders brought in former Notre Dame starting quarterback Jack Coan for a workout. Similar to Garbers, he’s an undrafted rookie from a big school. He was signed as an undrafted free agent of the Indianapolis Colts this offseason but didn’t last past training camp. What’s intriguing about Coan is his size and arm strength. He’s 6-foot-3 with a very strong arm. During his senior season at Notre Dame, he led the Fighting Irish to an 11-2 record while throwing for 3,150 yards and 25 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. Though he wasn’t drafted, he could have some upside.
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Draft Profile on Coan
Coan has some strong traits but there’s a reason he wasn’t drafted in a weak quarterback class. He’s not very mobile and is more in the old-school mold of quarterbacks. The NFL isn’t littered with undrafted quarterbacks who have great careers but perhaps he could be a serviceable backup. When Coan was heading into the draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com liked his arm talent but did believe there was a lot of room for improvement:
Old-fashioned, pro-style quarterback with the size, eyes and arm to operate with some effectiveness from the pocket. Coan has an ascending profile if you pay attention to certain indicators. His accuracy, yards per attempt and touchdown-to-interception ratio are all moving in the right direction and his monster game against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl was attention grabbing. He lacks escapability but climbs and slides around the pocket to find a clean workspace. He’s a full-field reader who gets the ball where it needs to go based upon the coverage and alignment of the defender. However, does need to improve his deep-ball touch and ball placement when throwing outside the numbers. Coan’s an upwardly mobile talent with the ability to operate in a variety of passing schemes and could become a good backup or a future starter with the right pieces around him.
Carr Using Legs More Could Increase Need for Better Backup QB
Carr isn’t Lamar Jackson when it comes to running ability but he is an underrated athlete. He showed that off in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos when he ran seven times for 40 yards. With the Raiders having so much receiver talent, there will be lots of holes for Carr to run. Unfortunately, running more will put him at greater risk for injury.
Head coach Josh McDaniels would likely prefer it for Carr to limit how often he runs but if teams are going to give him easy years, he’s got to take it. That said, it just takes one play for him to get taken out of a game with an injury. The Raiders need to be prepared for that possibility.