Additions and Subtractions
While there was a part of the Raiders fan base that would have liked the team to make a change at starting quarterback this offseason, Derek Carr remains the top guy on the depth chart in 2020. However, the talent behind him improved significantly, as Marcus Mariota was brought in to not only push Carr, but to support him as well.
Having a talent like Mariota behind Carr gives the Raiders a security blanket in case Carr goes down due to injury, or struggles this season. Carr has been mostly durable during his NFL career, and is entering his third season in Gruden’s system, so the odds Mariota plays outside of Carr playing terrible football are slim.
Still, Mariota is a huge upgrade over the likes of Mike Glennon, DeShone Kizer, or even Nathan Peterman, who rounded out the Raiders depth chart last season. Kizer and Glennon are both gone, leaving only Peterman as the third quarterback going into the summer, but we know how Gruden covets quarterbacks, so things could change by the time the team gets to camp.