Oakland Raiders: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Quarterback

The quarterback position is the most important position in the NFL. Fortunately, the Oakland Raiders have their QB situation sorted out. The fans and the organization are anticipating significant progress in Derek Carr's maturation process within a revamped up-tempo offense.

Can this offense run efficiently without Carr? Players aren’t indestructible, and injuries can strike a team’s playoffs hopes down within an instant. 

Last season, both Nick Foles and Carson Palmer missed huge chunks of the season with significant injuries. The Philadelphia Eagles just missed the playoffs with Mark Sanchez at the helm. In the NFC Wild Card Round, the Arizona Cardinals third-string QB, Ryan Lindley, put up a offensively offensive performance in a 11-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

When the starting QB goes down, the next man must step up equipped to steer the ship. 

Derek Carr Injury Update

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I know what you’re thinking. Carr’s finger injury and the talk about surgery can be unnerving. Carr's agent Tim Younger took the fear out of the speculation.

According to Lev Facher of the San Francisco Chronicle, Younger categorized Carr’s finger injury as a "very minor situation" not requiring surgery. Younger was confident enough in Carr’s recovery to place an expected date on his return:

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"It’s a very minor situation," Tim Younger said Wednesday. "I think he’s probably going to be throwing before the end of offseason team activities.

"I don’t know where this idea came up that he’s going to be having surgery," Younger said. "The situation, I don’t even want to call it an injury, is very minor, and we’re just being cautious."

Younger said even if Carr isn’t ready before June 4, he expects Carr to be 100 percent for mandatory minicamp, which begins June 9.

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Go ahead Raider Nation, breathe a sign of relief. Three months away from the regular season and he’s expected to be 100 percent in a couple of weeks.

An organization without much to celebrate is guaranteed to be cautious with their coveted starting QB. Carr had a solid rookie season with very little talent around him. The expectations in year two are quite lofty with the additions of Amari Cooper, Clive Walford, Rodney Hudson, the return of Rod Streater and a new running back committee.

Carr is obviously the clear-cut starter with a ton of upside, which puts the Raiders in a better long-term situation than teams with stopgap or struggling QBs. Given the parts around Carr, statistically, he can be a top-12 QB in just his second year.

Carr’s Primary Backup: Matt McGloin or Christian Ponder?

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Most people would quickly pencil in Christian Ponder as the primary backup with the argument that he’s familiar with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave from their days at Minnesota. If you look at Ponder’s track record, you’ll see why he should be a third-string QB in Oakland. More on that later.

As a rookie McGloin took over for Terrelle Pryor in the second half of the 2013 season. He threw eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, four of those interceptions were thrown in one ugly 56-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He wasn't knocking down doors, but he was a serviceable rookie starter who built a solid rapport with Streater in his best season.

In today’s league, the QB must be proficient in attacking the defense with decent arm strength to complement accuracy. Without the threat of spreading a defense out deep, it takes away a third of the field, which forces defenders to play closer to the line of scrimmage and limit explosive plays. 

It’s exactly why the Chiefs offense struggles to score points intermittently. Alex Smith cannot stretch a defense, therefore wide receivers are forced to cut off their routes, causing heavy traffic in the middle of the field. It’s not a coincidence none of their WRs caught a touchdown in 2014. Ponder is Smith with less accuracy.

The Raiders have a WR corps capable of stretching the field and scoring points in bunches—qualities McGloin is better equipped to accentuate. Let’s take a look at 250-yard passing games among the Raiders' top-three QBs: 

Player	# of starts	250-yard games
Christian Ponder	36	5
Derek Carr	16	4
Matt McGloin	6	3

Both Carr and McGloin have almost eclipsed Ponder in the number of 250-yard passing games with half as many starts. Yes, Ponder had the luxury of handing off to Adrian Peterson, but the game plan isn’t a sustainable approach. The QB cannot be a sitting duck incapable of taking advantage of one-on-one matchups on the perimeter.

Secondly, Oakland doesn’t have a Peterson to hand off to in the backfield. Carr’s backup won’t be his equivalent in terms of playmaking ability, but he’ll need to be able to utilize the talent brought in to ignite the offense.

John Konstantaras/Getty Images

In 2013, McGloin was able to move the ball as a rookie. Ponder couldn’t take advantage of single coverage with eight in the box stacked against arguably the best running back in the league for much of his career in Minnesota. If Carr goes down, the keys to offense should go to McGloin. 

Will Cody Fajardo Make the Team? 

Fajardo quietly stepped into Raiders minicamp as an undrafted free agent. Looking at his tape, he’s a carbon copy of Colin Kaepernick out of the same school, Nevada.

Fajardo is a dual-threat QB, who posted above-average numbers since taking over for Kaepernick. In his sophomore and senior years, he threw for over 2,400 yards and ran for more than 1,000 yards. He has the potential to be a curveball on any NFL roster. 

The lack of success for running QBs outside of Russell Wilson might scare teams away from retaining Fajardo. The undrafted rookie’s chances of making the roster are slim, but the coaching staff should take an in-depth look at a unique talent capable of attacking the defense with his arm and legs as a serviceable interim QB.

You can follow Maurice Moton on Twitter for the latest Raiders and NFL chatter.

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