The Oakland Raiders have made a number of moves this offseason to make their team better and more talented and one they made recently could end up forcing the team to trade one of their quarterbacks, as undrafted free agent rookie Matt McGloin has impressed the Raiders in workouts.
According to Golden Gate Sports, McGloin is making a "huge impression" on the Raiders coaxing staff and on general manager Reggie McKenzie, meaning that a trade could be possible with backup quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The team likes the skills that Pryor has, but coach Dennis Allen said this week that he is not ready to start in the NFL at quarterback and due to that he could be the odd man out. Matt Flynn is the presumed starter after being acquired from the Seattle Seahawks and after drafting Tyler Wilson in the fourth round, Pryor's backup spot may be taken.
The play of McGloin is a bad sign for Pryor, as the team used a third round supplemental pick on him and so far he has been a disappointment in limited playing time. Pryor's biggest issue is simply being outplayed and that apparently is what McGloin has done, pushing both Pryor and Wilson in camp and that could mean he will move up the depth chart ahead of one or both of the quarterbacks. McGloin showed maturity in his final season at Penn State while dealing with the Sandusky scandal and the Raiders like how he played during the season.
Last year McGloin had 3,271 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions as the team had a solid year and after going undrafted he got looks from the Panthers and other teams before the Raiders signed him. According to ESPN.com, McGloin impressed earlier in the offseason while looking for a team with the way he played at Penn State, as he became one of the "rocks" that held the team together. He put up records for the Nittany Lions and now he will have the chance to stick to an NFL roster.
Many felt that Wilson and Pryor would be the only ones behind Flynn, but after the way he has played and shown his skills in workouts, the main backup could end up being McGloin. On ESPN.com, Chris Mortensen said that McGloin impressed the team in OTA workouts and said that he is pushing both Wilson and Pryor. He helped lead Penn State to an 8-4 season and while Flynn will be the likely starter, he may have played himself into a future conversation at quarterback in Oakland.
The Raiders went 4-12 last season and traded away starter Carson Palmer despite ranking ninth in passing yards per game. The team needs more balance on offense after ranking 28th in rushing per game and with the addition of McGloin and Josh Cribbs as well as healthy Darren McFadden, the Raiders are a team that is expected to improve this season. The team added big names like Charles Woodson as well as Nick Roach, Kevin Burnett, Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins on defense and that is expected to elevate a team that ranked 20th and 18th in yards allowed per game passing and rushing.