Oakland Raiders to start Derek Carr at QB over Matt Schaub

Derek Carr will start at quarterback over Matt Schaub for the Oakland Raiders in their regular season opener, according to Jay Glazer.

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Carr was the team’s second round selection in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Fresno State where he led college football with 5,082 yards and 50 touchdowns. Nearly 1,000 more yards and 10 more touchdowns than Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston at Florida State.

Schaub was acquired in an offseason trade from the Houston Texans to provide a veteran presence and was the presumed starter as the offseason progressed, but Schaub could not hold off the rookie any longer as Dennis Allen informed the team of his decision today.

Carr has the much bigger arm than Schaub who has never had a strong arm and was benched last year with the Texans after throwing a pick-six in four straight games. The Fresno State product has been great when he’s been on the field after being diagnosed with a concussion and hurting his ribs earlier in preseason.

He cemented his status as the team’s starting quarterback in the Raiders preseason finale when he was 11-of-13 passing for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He was not sacked and did not turn the ball over against the Seattle Seahawks defense.

In an ideal world, the Raiders would have loved for Schaub to be the starter and allow Carr the time to learn the playbook and get accustomed to the NFL speed, but as we all know the Raiders don’t operate in a perfect world and Carr helps the team usher in a new era.