Aug 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Tie Against Seahawks Puts Raiders' Rookie in the Spotlight

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders left their preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks with a list of improvments that they must make as soon as possible. However, the Raiders also left their first preseason game with a better idea of what they have in one rookie.

Las Vegas would prefer to not have to play rookie quarterback Cam Miller this season, as that would mean either poor play or injuries impacted the Raiders quarterbacks Geno Smith and Aidan O'Connell.

John Breech of CBS Sports analyzed the Raiders' first game under Pete Carroll. After falling behind early,

Geno Smith did make his Raiders debut, but it was a boring one. Smith played just one series, which lasted all of five plays before the Raiders were forced to punt the ball. The veteran QB finished just 1 of 3 for 15 yards. Things weren't much better for Ashton Jeanty, who carried the ball three times for negative-1 yard (And yes, that is a negative sign)," Breech said.

Cam Miller's Performance

"It was a sloppy first half for the Raiders, who only scored three points during the first two quarters. There was one bright spot for the Raiders, and that was the play of Cam Miller. The rookie QB out of North Dakota State finished 6 of 7 for 76 yards, including a 41-yard TD to Shedrick Johnson in the fourth quarter that you can see here," Breech said.

"Tom Brady, when the Raiders made the decision to draft Miller, and fittingly, he was taken in the sixth round, which was the same round where Brady was selected in 2000.

Against the Seahawks, Miller showed much of what he has shown in practice. If anything, the rookie looked better in the game against the Seahawks than he has in practice. This is a testament to the Raiders' scouting department and coaching staff.

The day after the preseason game, Carroll praised Miller for continuing to perform well in limited opportunities. Miller is doing about all that he can as a third string quarterback.

“Well, he continues to do a nice job. Go back to the mock game, you guys were there, he kind of did the same thing in a mock game. The last five or six days of our work, he continues to move the club,” Carroll said.

“And so, I'm happy for him. It was about as duressed as you can get, and he handled it well, but it's not the first time he's done well in our practices. And he did well, like I said, in the mock game. Put the same situation, a field goal to win the game a couple times there and did it against Seattle. Nice job by him."

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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