Oakland Raiders: 5 players to watch vs. Baltimore Ravens
By John Buhler
EJ Manuel. 1. player. 28. . Quarterback. Florida State Seminoles
Of course, all eyes in Week 5 will be on the Raiders’ new starting quarterback EJ Manuel. How will he perform in his first start with his new team? After largely disappointing with his previous team in the Buffalo Bills, we’ll just have to wait and see what we’ll be getting out of Manuel for the next month or so in relief of the injured Derek Carr.
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Do keep in mind that Manuel is a former first-round pick out of Florida State. Admittedly, it was a terrible first-round draft class in 2013, but there was something that the Bills did see in Manuel coming out of Tallahassee. At times, he does throw a pretty ball. However, that ball will occasionally sail on him.
That’s not great, given that the Ravens have an outstanding secondary headlined by safeties Tony Jefferson and Eric Weddle.
Manuel will need to be precise with his passing. That being said, he honestly looked better than Carr in Sunday’s loss to Denver, albeit he only played for a quarter and change.
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Look for the Raiders’ offense to hopefully adjust to Manuel’s skill set. It’s not ideal that he’s under center, but the Raiders do have confidence in their backup signal caller. They let Matt McGloin walk in favor of signing Manuel. Though he is a failed starter, he can help the Silver and Black win a few games in Carr’s absence. Let’s hope he gets his first one against Baltimore on Sunday.