With free agency about a month away, it’s time to check in on each position group for the Raiders to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.
Starter: Derek Carr
Backup: DeShone Kizer, Nathan Peterman
Free-agent: Mike Glennon
Carr has been the starter for the past six seasons. Last season was his second under Jon Gruden and though the Raiders managed three more wins to improve to 7-9, Carr didn’t show marked improvement in Gruden’s system and the team lost five of its lasts six games.
Though most of the season, Glennon was the primary backup to Carr. Then Glennon came in late in a blowout loss to the Jets and promptly fumbled on two of his first three snaps. He also completed just four passes on seven attempts for 20 yards. This prompted Gruden to demote Glennon and to give Kizer the nod as the primary backup. Peterman was placed on the injured reserve list before the start of the season.
Condition: Serious
For the first time in Carr’s six-year NFL career, there are real questions as to whether the Raiders should move on. He was expected to make a big leap in his second season in Gruden’s offense and he didn’t. While many will point to his lack of wide receivers as the reason for the lack of success, he also had an outstanding offensive line, one of the best running backs and tight ends in the league to work with. That magical 2016 season is looking more and more like an anomaly of ancient history.
Even if Carr stays, the team must have a solid backup plan. Glennon should go, Peterman isn’t the answer, and Kizer is a complete question mark. A suitable backup is at very least a must right now.
