After rampant speculation this offseason about whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo would ever actually play a game for the Las Vegas Raiders this season, he was able to make his debut in Week 2 of the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams. Though he only played one drive, he completed four of four passes for 39 yards and led a touchdown drive.
Star wide receiver Davante Adams only played one snap against the Rams but he was happy to see Garoppolo back on the field after a foot injury knocked him out last season and much of this offseason.
“He had a lot of time off, so it’s going to take a little bit of adjusting to get back into it and learn new guys,” Adams said in his August 19 postgame availability, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic. “You can see the growth over the camp. I am proud of him.”
The chemistry between Adams and Garoppolo will be a key thing to watch during the early parts of the season. Thet wo didn’t connect on a pass against the Rams so it remains to be seen how they’re developing. If they can get on the same page, the Raiders could have a strong offense this season.
Jimmy Garoppolo Talks Preseason Debut
Jimmy Garoppolo spent the last six years with the San Francisco 49ers and has a lot to catch up on considering he missed organized team activities due to a foot injury. Garoppolo previously played under Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels when they were both with the New England Patriots but that was back in 2017.
Veteran quarterbacks don’t typically play much in preseason these days and the Raiders didn’t play Derek Carr at all this time of year last season. However, Garoppolo thought it was important that he gets some game reps before the regular season.
“It felt good to knock some of the rust off,” Garoppolo said during his August 19 postgame media availability. “To get in the game flow with some of the guys and work on the little things. I thought the guys played well. … I wanted to play and we worked well at a fast pace, which is important in this offense.”
Getting in the zone
Josh McDaniels on Why He Played Starters
There are a lot of new faces on the Raiders last year and many of them suited up against the Rams. Some notable starters like Kolton Miller and Chandler Jones didn’t play but most of the team’s projected starters took some snaps. Josh McDaniels explained what went into the decision to have them play.
“You always go through that conversation in your head every year,” McDaniels said during his August 19 postgame media availability. “And we just felt like it was, with a number of new faces, number of guys who were basically going to play their first regular season game together, that we’d like to go ahead and get that feeling you have in your stomach on a normal game day in the regular season, kind of get some of that out of the way today. And go through a normal pre-game preparation understanding that you were going to play, you’re going to suit up.”
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Davante Adams Has Message for Jimmy Garoppolo After Raiders Debut