Raiders Mailbag: Matt McGloin’s ceiling, surprise players and much more

The start of Oakland Raiders training camp is almost upon us and I figured, what better way to finish off the slowest time of the offseason than by seeing what is on the minds of Raider Nation. Thus, another mailbag is formed where I take your questions and give my opinions. Let’s see what the mail dragged in this week:

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I think you hit the nail on the head by talking about potential or ceilings. It would appear to me that the Raiders believe they know Matt McGloin’s ceiling already and they are not impressed with it. They brought competition in last season with Christian Ponder and when McGloin beat him out, the doubled down this offseason by drafting Connor Cook. With Cook, the Raiders believe they have a guy with the potential to be a good NFL quarterback. They see him as an upgrade at backup quarterback and a potential trade piece down the line. Of course, McGloin could prove his doubters wrong again if he beats Cook out for the backup role.

I think even the best of teams could have things go poorly enough that their playoff hopes are derailed. So to think a team that has not been to the playoffs in 13 years might be susceptible to problems isn’t outlandish by any means. Even with a team like the Raiders who appear to be ready to break out. So, what could go wrong? Two big possibilities in my mind.

First is injuries. The Raiders were pretty lucky last year and didn’t have a ton of major injuries until late in the year when the playoffs were all but out of the picture. If the Raiders end up suffering a number of injuries it could keep them out of the playoffs. The depth is improved but still not where it needs to be.

Second is regression. The Raiders core is full of young players who should improve next season. And that improvement is a major reason why people are so excited about this team. But if major players like Derek Carr, Khalil Mack or Amari Cooper regress rather than progress next season, it could cause problems and potentially keep them out of the playoffs.

I think the team carries three tight ends, two of which are no-brainers. Clive Walford and Lee Smith will not only make the roster, they will both be heavily involved in the offense. After those two, Mychal Rivera and Gabe Holmes will be battling it out. Rivera, a former sixth round pick, was once the starting tight end for this team but now is hoping just to make the roster. Standing in his way is a former undrafted free agent who spent last season on the practice squad. But what Holmes has over Rivera is a more diverse game. Rather than being just a pass catcher like Rivera or just a blocker like Smith, Holmes is more similar to Walford, who can block and contribute in the passing game.

This is a great question! Though I would add Denico Autry to Seth Roberts as the two guys who really surprised last season, mostly because they kind of came out of nowhere. We had heard about both names but didn’t expect them to burst onto the scene quite like that.

I’m going to give you two names: SaQwan Edwards and Leon Orr. Much like Autry and Roberts, these are two guys who have shown flashes in training camp and preseason but hadn’t done enough to make the 53 man roster at the start of last year. After spending most of the season on the practice squad, these are two guys who could surprise with how big of a role they have this year. Edwards could push for the nickel or dime spot while Orr will battle for a role in what’s already a very deep defensive line rotation.

To be honest, I’m not certain the Raiders and Derek Carr himself really know what he is yet. Carr is only two years into his professional career and while he has shown improvement, he also has shown a need to continue improving. The idea that he is a half season quarterback is not something that can be answered so early in his career. We hope Derek Carr is the next great quarterback, we fear he could only end up being average but I think most feel fairly confident that a career as an average NFL quarterback is Derek Carr’s floor at this point.

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