After spending most of the offseason rehabbing from foot surgery, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo finally made his debut for the Silver and Black in their second preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Garoppolo, along with the other starters, managed to get a few reps in before Josh McDaniels played the backups. Still, the Raiders were able to put together a solid two-way performance and beat the Rams, 34-17.
Garoppolo looked good in his short time on the field, completing all four of his passes for 39 yards. His longest play of the day was an 18-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers on the left that helped put Las Vegas into scoring range. Brandon Bolden finished the series with a touchdown run.
While his first game with the Raiders lasted just one drive, Davante Adams was impressed with his new quarterback and praised him for his performance via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
“He had a lot of time off, so it’s going to take a little bit of adjusting to get back into it and learn new guys,” Adams said in his August 19 postgame availability. “You can see the growth over the camp. I am proud of him.”
Like Garoppolo, Adams got a chance to get some run though he didn’t catch a pass. Still, it’s easy to see why Las Vegas and McDaniels are optimistic as Garoppolo looked in control of the offense and made good decisions with the football.
With one more preseason game left against the Dallas Cowboys, McDaniels should strongly consider giving his starters more reps as they’ve got plenty of work to do to catch up with the rest of the AFC West. The developing chemistry between Garoppolo and Adams will be worth monitoring as the two will need to carry the team in 2023.
Josh Jacobs expected to report to Raiders before Week 1
While Adams will be the focal point of the passing game, the Raiders have a large hole to fill in the backfield as Josh Jacobs has been holding out due to his contract situation. Jacobs was the NFL’s leading rusher in 2022 and not having him leads to several question marks about the run game.
While Jacobs has remained determined to stay away from the team, he is reportedly expected to return to the Raiders before Week 1.
