Tyler Wilson is officially a member of the Oakland Raiders. The rookie quarterback out of the University of Arkansas signed his contract on Tuesday prior to the Raiders starting training camp. General manager Reggie McKenzie announced the signing of the fourth-round draft pick. The Raiders now have eight of their 10 draft picks from 2013 signed to contract.
Wilson's signing is not necessarily marquee considering he was a fourth round selection, but he does stand a chance at becoming the team's next starting quarterback if a few other things happen first. Entering training camp, head coach Dennis Allen insists that Matt Flynn is the team's starting quarterback and Wilson is the rookie backup. Flynn was acquired in the offseason from the Seattle Seahawks and given his five years in the NFL already, he is an easy choice to start.
However, Flynn has only a little more experience than Wilson does. For the first four years, Flynn was a backup quarterback for the Green Back Packers, seeing very little time on the field. He then was sent to Seattle to become the starting quarterback for the Seahawks. He played in three games, losing his starting job to rookie Russell Wilson.
Wilson was a top quarterback prospect leaving the draft with many impressed by his arm strength and presence in the pocket. However, both McKenzie and Allen insist that Flynn is that man and will likely stay that way. But, if Flynn starts to stumble like he did in Seattle, Wilson will step up.
"Yeah, right now that's the way we're going. Just like we've said before, we want to try to create as much competition as we can on this football team," Allen said. "That's how you get better. When everybody competes and they compete in a way that they want to do what's best for the football team, the cream always rises to the top. So Matt is our starting quarterback as we go forward right now."
Oakland also has Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin on the roster who will be given just as good of a chance at starting as both Wilson and Flynn. Compared to seasons past, the Raiders are in an excellent situation. They have at least two quarterbacks that could be potential starters, making the door wide open for a strong future.
