Everyone knows that the role of starting signal-caller belongs to Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. However, Jarrett Stidham is quietly developing into a decent Raiders QB under the tutelage of head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Raiders moved on from Marcus Mariota this offseason, leaving the role of QB2 vacant for the first time in two seasons. Moving forward, McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler brought in a handful of new quarterbacks to fill the void. Stidham had the advantage of having played under McDaniels back in New England. Reuniting with his former offensive coordinator has surely helped Stidham. Impressing in last week’s preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, McDaniels was recently asked about Stidham’s progression with the Raiders.
“Great kid, smart, works hard at the game. Hasn’t had a tremendous number of opportunities just based on the circumstances that he came in under and dealt with an injury a year and a half ago that kind of slowed him down a little bit, but he’s healthy now. And, again, he understands what he’s trying to do, ran the offense pretty efficiently the other night. Took care of the ball and made some plays with his legs. He’s just to me, I see him as a young player who’s continuing to develop and improve. We have not reached his peak yet. We have a lot of players on our team I’d say that about, but certainly, Jarret (Stidham) is one of them.“
The Raiders are developing their backup quite nicely
Make no mistake about it, the Raiders are banking on Carr having an MVP-type season, even better than his 2016 campaign. At the same time, developing Stidham is key and, if anything, an underrated aspect of training camp. As McDaniels alluded to, Stidham hasn’t reached his peak, and as someone who’s highly familiar with No. 3, he would know.
Stidham completed 15 passes for 96 yards against the Jaguars last week. He even ran for a touchdown all by himself, a 12-yard scramble. As the preseason continues, Stidham is now a player for all of us to keep an eye on; the Raiders QB of the future, perhaps?
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*Top Photo: Nick Cammett/Getty Images