Raiders camp: 3 things to be excited about, 3 things to be worried about

By Brad Weiss | Aug 26, 2020

DENVER, CO - DECEMBER 29: Quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders warms up before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on December 29, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 16-15. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

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Worry #1: Marcus Mariota

Mike Mayock wanted to upgrade every position group this offseason, and he did with the quarterback spot behind Derek Carr as well. The addition of Marcus Mariota gave Carr his first legitimate backup quarterback since taking over as the starter, and some fans were immediately clamoring for the team to start him.

After Jon Gruden publicly called him a dazzling playmaker, the sports world went nuts, planning out the demise of Carr with the franchise, and anointing Mariota as the starter in waiting. Well, Mariota has not looked great since, and does not appear to be ready to step in and start if something happens to Carr.

Mariota missed practice on Wednesday, and only has a couple more weeks to not only get acclimated with Gruden’s offense, but also get his accuracy back. He played his way out of a starting job in Tennessee, so his slow summer is a bit of a worrisome issues as we inch closer to the regular season.

Hopefully Mariota can improve, and the Raiders can go into the season with an established starter behind Carr.

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