Several teams will enter into the 2013 season with a quarterback competition in full swing. The Oakland Raiders certainly have one on their hands, no matter how much the coaches are trying to downplay it. While the team traded for Matt Flynn in the offseason and have him as their presumed starter, the team's backups are looking more impressive by the day. As the Raiders wrapped up rookie minicamp over the weekend, the newly acquired Tyler Wilson drew rave reviews.
Is there a chance Flynn finds himself in the same situation as last season? The former Seattle Seahawks quarterback lost the starting job to rookie Russell Wilson and never saw the playing field again for the rest of the season. Could the same thing happen with Wilson? While the Raiders are not ready to hand the reigns of the offense over to a rookie after one weekend of practices, they are very impressed with the former Arkansas standout.
"Obviously, picking up a new system, there's a little bit of rust there. But throwing the ball, he's done a nice job. I don't have any question about his arm strength and his accuracy," Raiders coach Dennis Allen said.
Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group reports Wilson showed great velocity on the ball, displaying poise like seasoned veteran. The fourth-round draft pick proved to be every bit the smart football player the Raiders hoped they were getting.
While Wilson knows it is a long-shot for him to start, he is taking every chance he gets to show he can be the guy Oakland can count on.
"It's an opportunity. Obviously, there's a lot I have to learn...I've got a lot of work to do to get up to speed because there have been veteran guys that have been here that are way ahead of me right now. So, I'm playing catch-up from that point," Wilson said.
The rookie currently sits behind Flynn and Terrelle Pryor on the depth chart. Flynn has seen five years in the NFL and yet has only played two games as a starter. Pryor has seen one NFL start in his short career. While Wilson is technically a rookie, he is not too far behind the others in terms of playing time. General manager Reggie McKenzie has stressed that he wants the quarterbacks to compete and push each other and Wilson will certainly bring the heat.
