In the span of a month, the Oakland Raiders added three potential starting quarterbacks on their roster. After saying goodbye to veteran Carson Palmer and bringing in former Seattle backup Matt Flynn in the offseason, the Raiders also drafted rookie Tyler Wilson in the draft. Adding both Flynn and Wilson onto a roster with Terrelle Pryor gives Oakland three possible quality quarterbacks to work with. While Flynn is the assumed starter, Wilson has impressed the team enough to be considered for the position.
While Flynn was brought in with the hopes of being the next Raiders' franchise quarterback, with very little experience, he is not a sure thing. Flynn has been in the league since 2008, but primarily in the backup role. The Seattle Seahawks brought him on in 2012 with the idea that he would be the starting quarterback, but after three games, he lost the job to rookie Russell Wilson and never saw the field again. In five seasons, he has thrown for nine touchdowns, accumulating just over 1,000 yards. So, while the Raiders hope he looks more like an elite quarterback than he did in Seattle, there is not a whole lot of stats to back him up.
Oakland drafted Wilson in the fourth round. Some considered that a steal for the Raiders. Wilson put together a strong career at Arkansas, leaving general manager Reggie McKenzie to have a lot of confidence in him. McKenzie is making sure to say all the right things in regards to their quarterback situation, but he is stressing that everyone will have a chance to compete.
"He's a rookie. I want him to learn the playbook first. Get out here and make sure he gets behind the center, not behind the guard. You want these guys to come in and just show the coaches and their team, number one, that they belong. Then all the other stuff will come," McKenzie said of Wilson.
McKenzie stressed that the team will start out with Flynn at the starting quarterback, but essentially, it is his job to lose. While he may enter the season as the No. 1 guy, if Flynn begins to struggle then Wilson will likely get the job. McKenzie believes that Flynn is the safer choice for a starting quarterback, but Wilson or even Pryor could prove to have more upside. All signs point to the Raiders having a strong competition at quarterback going into next season.
