Raiders to start Matt Schaub, Derek Carr only if something ‘catastrophic’ happened
By Mike Dyce
The Oakland Raiders have been looking for a solution at quarterback, and in the offseason traded for Matt Schaub from the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2014 sixth-round draft pick.
“We brought Matt Schaub in to be our starting quarterback,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said before the draft, via the team’s website. “We feel very confident that he is going to be able to come in and function in that role and be outstanding for us. Obviously, we love having competition within the team, but right now Matt Schaub is our starting quarterback.”
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Despite that, the Raiders drafted Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr in the second round. That might have cast some doubt on Schaub’s lock on the starter’s role, but ESPN’s Jim Trotter thinks Allen is still firmly committed to Schaub.
“It’ll take something ‘catastrophic’ for Raiders rookie QB Derek Carr to start this year. Coach Dennis Allen is firmly committed to Schaub,” Trotter wrote on Twitter.
That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie seemed to support Allen’s commitment to Schaub, albeit in comments made prior to drafting Carr.
“We’re not looking for stop gaps,” McKenzie said, via Vic Tafur. “The young guys can see we’re serious about winning.”
Still, it is less than a month after the draft and no team would anoint a player the starter. That doesn’t mean that if Carr is clearly the better option by the end of training camp they’d still stick with Schaub. Schaub is new to the Raiders and doesn’t necessarily have an advantage in this offense.