Raiders may want to roll the dice on this veteran QB in free agency

The Raiders have to get better in terms of who they bring in behind DerekCarr next year, and this free agency quarterback may be the perfect fit.

Before we get into this, let’s be clear. I believe Derek Carr will be the Raiders starting quarterback when they open the 2020 season in Las Vegas. However, I also believe that head coach Jon Gruden will be interested in bringing in competition to push Carr to be his best.

Last year, Carr did not have much competition, as guys like Nathan Peterman, Mike Glennon, and DeShone Kizer were the only ones behind him on the depth chart. After another losing season, many fans in Raider Nation are calling for the team to make a big-time change at the quarterback position, but that is not going to happen.

If the team does decide to bring in a free agent who can actually make Carr sweat, there is one player who makes a lot of sense for this team in 2020. The quarterback I’m talking about is Case Keenum.

Now, while Keenum is not the most sexy name out there, he fits generally what we’ve seen in a Gruden Grinder in the past. He’s a veteran journeyman who can move around in the pocket but doesn’t have a strong arm. Sounds a lot like Rich Gannon before he turned his career around in Oakland.

I also think Gruden likes the veteran. Gruden said during the 2018 season that Keenum was the best free agent signing that year, after he signed on with the Denver Broncos. I’m sure that season didn’t go as Keenum had planned, but he did beat the Raiders in Denver. Keenum also didn’t have a true offensive coaching staff.

The last time Keenum had a true offensive coach with weapons, he won 11 games as a starter, and he most recently played under Jon Gruden’s brother Jay in Washington. I’m sure Jon will at least ask Jay about Keenum. Again, I’m not talking about bringing him in as a starter, simply to bring him in as a backup to Carr.

I think Keenum could push Carr, and may be a safe option if Carr got hurt. Let’s not forget that Carr had his best season with competition. The team drafted Connor Cook and brought him in to compete with Carr back in 2016.

Heading into 2020, both Glennon and Peterman are going to be free agents, and it remains to be seen whether or not Mike Mayock and Gruden will bring either one of them back. Kizer is still young, and the coaching staff seems to like him, but if the team is going to bring in a legitimate guy to push their veteran quarterback, Keenum makes more sense.