Earlier this offseason, the Raiders’ quarterback depth behind starter Derek Carr was non-existent. But now, after free agency and a month before the NFL draft, head coach Jon Gruden finally has a couple of veterans on the roster to work through the team’s offseason program and compete for regular-season jobs.
First, Oakland added Mike Glennon. Then, this week, Landry Jones became a Raider.
Glennon, 29, a former third-round pick of Tampa Bay in 2013, has had the most playing time of the duo.
Glennon has started 22 games in the NFL, including 13 in his rookie season when he was 4-9, completed 59.4 percent of his passes and had 19 touchdown throws vs. nine interceptions. After playing three seasons for the Bucs, he moved on to the Bears for one season in 2017 and then the Cardinals for 2018. Overall, Glennon, who is 6-foot-6, has a good TD/interception rate (35 to 20) and completion percentage (60.9).
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden believes Glennon gives the Raiders some talent behind Carr if he’s needed. He says Glennon never really has had a great opportunity in the league.
“Here’s a guy that got a big deal to go play for the Bears,” Gruden told Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group this week at the NFL owners’ meetings in Arizona. “And just a couple of months later they draft (Mitchell) Trubisky. He goes to Arizona to compete with Sam Bradford, and a couple of months later they trade for (Josh) Rosen. So he’s had some bad luck, but I do like this guy, because he’s got arm talent and he’s got some experience as a starter and he’s really smart.”
Jones, 29, originally was a fourth-round pick of the Steelers out of Oklahoma in 2013. For the Sooners, he was extremely productive, setting Big 12 records for TD passes (123) and passing yards (16,646). But in the NFL, the 6-foot-4 Jones has appeared in just 19 games (all with the Steelers), with only five starts. He’s 3-2 as a starter. In his career he’s completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 1,310 yards, eight TDs and seven interceptions and a quarterback rating of 86.2.
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The Raiders are likely, too, to bring in at least one more quarterback, through the draft or free agency, to compete in the spring program and training camp.
