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Raiders Rumors: Ex-XFL QB Cardale Jones to Work Out for Las Vegas
August 21, 2020
Former NFL and XFL quarterback Cardale Jones reportedly arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday to work out with the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Jones most recently played for the DC Defenders of the XFL during the 2020 season. He completed just 53.9 percent of his passes for 674 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he was supplanted by Tyree Jackson as the starter.
The 27-year-old Jones also spent time in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers.
Before entering the NFL, Jones was a standout at Ohio State. He threw for only 2,322 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions in three seasons but flashed his potential as a sophomore in 2014 when he took over as the starter late in the season and led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
Enticed by Jones' big arm and prototypical quarterback body, the Bills selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Jones' only in-game action in the NFL came as a rookie with the Bills, as he appeared in one game and completed six of 11 passes for 96 yards with one interception.
Buffalo traded Jones to the Chargers the following year, and he spent two years with the organization as a third-stringer. Jones was with the Seattle Seahawks as part of their practice squad briefly in 2019, but he never made the active roster.
If the Raiders opt to keep three quarterbacks, Jones could make the team. Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota are locked in as Nos. 1 and 2 on the depth chart, but the No. 3 spot could be up for grabs.
Former Bills quarterback Nathan Peterman is the team's third signal-caller presently, but his numbers leave plenty to be desired, as he threw for 548 yards, three touchdowns and 12 interceptions in two seasons in Buffalo.
Peterman is 1-3 in his career as a starter and was unable to keep the Bills starting job despite winning it out of training camp in 2018.
Jones seemingly has far more upside than Peterman, and that alone could make him a more logical developmental quarterback for the Raiders.