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The Las Vegas Raiders‘ quarterback position is a bit in flux right now. The team revealed that Jimmy Garoppolo underwent foot surgery in March and he’s not healthy enough to participate in organized team activities. He is going to miss out on valuable practices where he could be developing chemistry with the wide receivers.
There have been questions as to why the Raiders would sign Garoppolo knowing he was injured and not doing more to add a capable backup. This has led to speculation that the team could go after another quarterback, including Tom Brady. However, the Raiders don’t appear to be nearly as concerned as the fans are. Head coach Josh McDaniels finally had a chance to address the news but downplayed its significance.
“I have no anxiety,” McDaniels said during June 1 media availability, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “You guys might have anxiety. I don’t have any anxiety.”
“I’m not going to put a timeline on it or a day or anything,” McDaniels continued. “But like I said, I have no anxiety. Feel pretty good about it.”
It’s possible this is being blown out of proportion but the Raiders could’ve avoided a media headache if they were honest about Garoppolo’s status when they signed him. Regardless, McDaniels isn’t worried about his quarterback right now.
“Like I said, I have very good information that would tell me that we’re going to be fine,” he said. “So, again, nothing has happened that would’ve changed that. That’s why I feel that way.”
McDaniels Wants to Control What He Can Control
The Raiders made their bed. There isn’t a better quarterback available to the team right now than Garoppolo when he’s healthy. The best result for the Raiders is that Garoppolo makes a full recovery by training camp and is ready to start in Week 1.
That’s what McDaniels is hoping for and is simply going to try to control what he can control.
“I don’t worry about the things I can’t control,” McDaniels said. “I have very good information that tells me that we’re going to be fine, you know what I mean? So again, nothing has happened that would’ve changed that, so that’s why I feel that way.”
McDaniels Talks Brian Hoyer
While Garoppolo is out, Brian Hoyer is getting the first-team reps. The 37-year-old hasn’t won a start since 2016 and is better suited to be holding a clipboard than taking snaps at this point in his career. He’ll be manning the ship until Garoppolo gets back and that’s something McDaniels is comfortable with.
“I’ve obviously known Brian [Hoyer] for a while and Brian is a true pro … takes full advantage of every opportunity he has … excited about what he’s doing,” McDaniels said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
Hoyer is a good quarterback to have on the roster but having him as a Week 1 starter would be a major concern. The Raiders aren’t going to win many games if Garoppolo doesn’t get healthy. While McDaniels says that none of the injury news has come as a surprise, the team likely could’ve done more to solidify the quarterback position this offseason. They will now be relying heavily on a player with an extensive injury history to stay healthy.
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