The Oakland Raiders continue to say there is no quarterback competition going on, but as news comes out about Derek Carr's improvement, it is hard to believe that statement is true. Right now, head coach Dennis Allen is remaining adamant that veteran Matt Schaub will be the starting quarterback, but there is a battle for who will back him up and potentially be the future of the franchise.
The Raiders drafted Carr in the second round, passing up on several other big named prospects. They liked what they saw in the Fresno State star and still feel that way as organized team activities and minecamps get underway. The Raiders are trying very hard to keep Schaub as the team's No. 1 option in order for the rookie to develop and take his time learning a new system, but Allen's praise of Carr is sending mixed messages. Allen notes that everything regarding depth charts is written in pencil and after offensive coordinator Greg Olson sang the praises of the rookie, could a change at the top be in the works?
"I really, really like him," Olson said, via SFGate.com. "Everybody knew he was accurate, but he is more accurate than we thought. ... We'll have to wait and see how he does against a live rush, but so far his intelligence, accuracy and quickness in getting the ball out has been excellent. When we got Matt Schaub, we needed to do that. We didn't know who would fall to us in the draft. It was a good decision, a decision we had to make."
Right now, the Raiders have four quarterbacks on the roster. Outside of Schaub and Carr, there is Matt McGloin who started a majority of last season and veteran Trent Edwards. At this point, the only two guaranteed a roster spot are Carr and Schaub leaving a trade or release the future of Edwards and McGloin. According to NFL.com, a trade of McGloin could be something Oakland pursues in the near future.
McGloin is a talent quarterback who could succeed with the right amount playing time. He certainly showed promise last season filling in for Matt Flynn and Terrell Pryor. If available, there might be a few teams that consider making a move during training camp. The Houston Texans are still working out their quarterback situation despite having drafted Tom Savage while the Buffalo Bills could be looking at options if EJ Manuel struggles. McGloin has not chance of winning the starting job simply because Carr is getting more attention, so Reggie McKenzie might look to get a return on the quarterback.