Dennis Allen may not be ready to admit it, but Terrelle Pryor may be the best quarterback on the team's roster. At one point, Pryor was trade bait. However now he is being named the team's starter in the preseason finale. If things go well, Pryor should not be ruled out as a possible option to start Week 1 of the regular season.
At this moment, history appears to be repeating itself for Matt Flynn. The veteran underwent the same situation last year in Seattle. Signed as the presumed starter for the team, he failed tom make plays throughout the preseason and was replaced by rookie Russell Wilson. The Seahawks never looked back. The Raiders could be following a similar path.
At this moment, Flynn is ruled out for the preseason finale due to elbow tendonitis. This makes things easier for Allen. He did not have to make up any excuses for naming Pryor the starter. While most starters will not see action in the preseason finale, healthy or not, this final game could serve as a true audition for Pryor.
"It's probably more of a precautionary measure on my part than it is anything else," Allen said, via ESPN.com. "We'll get a chance to see Terrelle this week with the first-unit offense up against Seattle, and we'll see how he does."
In the limited action Pryor has seen throughout the preseason, he has left coaches very impressed. On Friday, Pryor completed seven of nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown, proving he can be accurate and mobile. Allen noted that after the impressive performance, the quarterback competition would remain wide open, giving Pryor another opportunity.
"Coach told me what the deal was, that Matt wasn't playing on Friday and he wanted me to jump with the first team and lead them into Seattle," Pryor said. "I'm definitely not all the way there in terms of the playbook and in terms of just being a quarterback out there. Don't get me wrong, I can lead if I was called upon to do it."
Pryor will spend all week with the first-team offense. This is his chance to prove he is the best option to win games for the Raiders. Pryor has always been known as an athletic quarterback, but after his offseason work on mechanics, he came into training camp looking better than ever.
It also helps that rookie Tyler Wilson has seriously fallen off the depth chart since training camp began. As he continues to struggle, Pryor continues to inch his way to the top.
