Pete Caroll Impressed With Rookie QB Cam Miller

The Las Vegas Raiders got their first taste of preseason action when they took on the Seattle Seahawks this past week.

It was a game of reunions and familiar faces as head coach Pete Carroll and Geno Smith faced their former team for the first time. Smith played one series, completing just one of his three passes for 15 yards before ceding way to Aidan O’Connell and Cam Miller for the rest of the game.

O’Connell got the nod as Smith’s primary backup but had a so-so showing as he completed 18 of his 30 pass attempts for 215 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions. Although the game was close at the end, Carroll gave reps to sixth-round draft pick Cam Miller in the clutch.

Miller wound up being the most impressive quarterback of the day, completing six passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. After the game, Carroll praised Miller for his performance as well as the wide receivers for completing the plays via Mike Moraitis of The Sporting News:

“We knew that he would get the chance in the fourth quarter to do this and he did a terrific job. I’m so proud of him for hanging in there through all those situations,” Carroll said of Miller. “Really, credit to him and the guys that made the catches.”

The Raiders took Miller with the 215th pick after the rookie had a successful college career at North Dakota State. Miller led the Bison to two FCS national championships, including an outstanding senior year where he amassed 3,251 passing yards with 33 touchdowns against just four interceptions.

Miller looked poised and confident in his first taste of NFL action, showing off his ability to hit the deep ball as well as the throws in between to keep the chains moving. While Las Vegas and Seattle wound up tied 23-23 at the end, the former has to feel better about its quarterback room.

Because it’s just one game, Carroll likely won’t be ready to promote Miller on the depth chart over O’Connell, but it’s hard not to think that the former has more upside. It’ll be interesting to see how the backup quarterback battle shakes out as Miller looks like a legitimate prospect.

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