Although quarterback Derek Carr will once again be leading the Las Vegas Raiders offense to start the 2021 NFL season, it is backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s time to take the reins in the preseason.
Since head coach Jon Gruden will likely want to take a cautious approach with Carr, it is safe to assume that fans will not be seeing much of him and other key starters during meaningless exhibition games.
Regardless, the Raiders have good reason to be optimistic about what Mariota can do with the offense over the next three games. Unfortunately, it appears they may have to wait due to a setback under center.
Gruden listed Mariota as questionable for the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks due to a sore leg.
“He’s got a sore leg, so he couldn’t practice,” Gruden said. “I would think his status for the game is very much questionable.”
Mariota’s inability to practice this late in the week is hardly a positive sign for his status this weekend. This means the third and fourth options on the depth chart may have a chance to split halves versus the Seahawks.
There is little reason for the Raiders to play Mariota if he is not feeling 100 percent at the moment. Even if he was willing to take a pay cut during the offseason, it is evident that the Silver and Black still value him highly after adding a no-trade clause to his contract.
Mariota proved himself as a capable backup after filling in for an injured Carr in Week 15. Despite losing to the Los Angeles Chargers, he still showed off his versatile skill set by throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 88 yards and another touchdown.
If Mariota is unable to go, the onus will fall on Nathan Peterman and Case Cookus to get the job done. Peterman has some experience under Gruden after spending the 2020 campaign in Las Vegas, while Cookus is still trying to find his footing after bouncing around to start his career.
