Prevailing talk at the NFL Scouting Combine pertains to Tom Brady and the Las Vegas Raiders. One NFL insider believes Nate Sudfeld could be a potential “Plan B” for the Raiders if they decided to part ways with quarterback Derek Carr… Seriously?
No one outside of Raiders brass knows what Las Vegas is going to do at quarterback. Draft one? Sign Brady? Trade Derek Car? However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared a scenario in which the Raiders bring in Sudfeld, who will be a free agent after missing all of 2019 with a broken wrist, to possibly compete with Carr.
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Florio mentioned Sudfeld’s connection to the Gruden family via the Washington Redskins, where Jon’s brother Jay was the head coach when he was drafted. Whether this would have any bearing on the Raiders pursuing the quarterback is yet to be seen.
Derek Carr: An Absurd Proposition At First
It would be foolish to think that a signal caller who has only started three games and only thrown one touchdown pass could replace a former MVP candidate. Florio’s outline for what a scenario featuring both Carr and Sudfeld does make sense depending on what happens with Brady.
Since Sudfeld will be much cheaper than Brady, the Raiders could (if they fail to get Brady) pair Sudfeld with Derek Carr, maintaining Carr at the top of the depth chart unless and until Sudfeld leapfrogs him. Even if he doesn’t, the mere presence of Sudfeld could push Carr to find a higher ceiling.
If the talk surrounding Brady and River Philips turns out to be nothing, Sudfeld backing up Carr could certainly prove to be a good scenario all things considered. Many people are not high on Marcus Mariota backing up Carr so perhaps, Sudfeld could be given that job with potential still on his side. We’ll see once the air clears a little bit on March 18.
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