Raiders quarterback situation given unflattering appraisal

It has been no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders have been dealing with their issues at quarterback over the past few years.

From Derek Carr’s struggles to push the Raiders over the hump to the back-to-back free agent whiffs in Jimmy Garoppolo and Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas has seen quarterback play serve as an anchor to their fortunes. When fans and analysts can say with confidence that the best quarterback over the past two seasons has been Aidan O’Connell, that should be a sign of a problem. O’Connell certainly deserves respect for at least trying to keep the Raiders afloat, but it was clear the team has needed an upgrade for a while.

Even with the team shaking up the quarterback room, it is clear that analysts are taking a wait-and-see approach before saying the Raiders have fixed the problem.

The Raiders are still seen as having one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL.

The Raiders ranked as the seventh-worst quarterback room in the NFL, according to The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf.

“It’s never a glowing indication of your quarterback situation when you have to trade for your backup less than two weeks before the start of the regular season, but that’s the position the Raiders were in after O’Connell’s injury. On the bright side, at least this year’s starting quarterback battle wasn’t between O’Connell and Gardner Minshew,” wrote Yousuf.

In fairness, it sounds as though the Raiders are more the victims of circumstance with their ranking, with the move to acquire Kenny Pickett from the Cleveland Browns coming out of necessity to keep the depth strong.

Even more ironic is how the Raiders are connected to quarterback rooms ranked even lower than theirs. The team acquired Geno Smith and the aforementioned Pickett from other teams on the list; the Seattle Seahawks slotted above the Raiders at No. 6, while the Browns came in at No. 4. Meanwhile, Carr’s former team in the New Orleans Saints appears set to take their lumps this season, coming in with the worst quarterback situation in Yousuf’s opinion.

If Smith recaptures the magic with Seattle, the Raiders could easily find themselves elevated out of this ranking during the season.