The Raiders liked quarterback Derek Carr enough to draft him in the second round, but they’ve found even more to like about him since he started practicing with the team this spring.
Coach Dennis Allen said that the team has seen “significant improvement” from Carr over his brief time with the team, while offensive coordinator Greg Olson says that the young quarterback is “better than we thought he would be.”
“I really, really like him,” Olson said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “Everybody knew he was accurate, but he is more accurate than we thought. ... We’ll have to wait and see how he does against a live rush, but so far his intelligence, accuracy and quickness in getting the ball out has been excellent.”
The plan in Oakland has been for Matt Schaub to start in 2014 with Carr learning from a backup role before taking over the job. Olson isn’t veering off that track, but says that Carr may not need to “redshirt” as a rookie. Whether that means he’s an option to start in Week One is something that will have to be answered once Carr has dealt with a live rush, but it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a presumed veteran starter make way to a younger player originally slated for a lesser role.
Oakland did it just last season with Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor, although you’d imagine they hope things play out differently if they go that route this year.