The Oakland Raiders are going to have to make some difficult decisions with the conclusion of this preseason. With a roster full of talented young players, many NFL hopefuls will likely not be wearing the Silver and Black in 2019.
Head coach Jon Gruden has been through this before, but cutting the roster down to 53 men will certainly be tough. One player who is likely not going anywhere is backup quarterback Mike Glennon. He is headed into his seventh year and has been a consistent backup for most of his career, and that is exactly what he was brought in to Oakland to do.
Glennon is one of few players on the Raiders roster with long term NFL experience and can sympathize with what both the coaches and players are going through, via Raiders.com:
“I think it’s unfortunately this time of year, you have to make those decisions.”
Glennon had a solid preseason, throwing for 491 yards and two touchdowns on a 67.2% completion rate. Glennon was cut by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this year and was quickly picked up by the Raiders.
Behind Glennon and third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman, the Raiders finished the preseason averaging the fourth-most passing yards per game and total yards per game. They also finished with an impressive 3-1 preseason record, only dropping their final game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Glennon was pleased with the Raiders preseason and noted how there is no animosity amongst the players who may or may not be on the team come the regular season:
“I think overall through the four preseason games, we played well. First game we would have liked to have a couple throws back, but other than that we threw it well tonight. I think Nate [Peterman] played really well too. We’re all pulling for each other here, it’s not like what some people may think, we’re all in this together.”
While both quarterbacks have had their share of praise from media and from Gruden, they have not been the only standouts. The Raiders have compiled a group of receivers that are likely all competing for a final roster spot.
Although Antonio Brown will dominate the Raiders aerial assault, some players could find themselves contributing if unforeseen circumstances arise. Four Raiders receivers went for over 100 receiving yards in the preseason and six players caught touchdown passes.
Glennon has been impressed by the guys he has been throwing to during camp and the preseason:
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been with a group as deep as this. Unfortunately, they can’t keep everyone, but I think there’s a lot of guys in that wide receiver room going to end up on NFL rosters. I like them all, I’m not envious of the decisions that they have to make, but I really like our receivers and I think all of them have shown up throughout the course of the preseason.”
Peterman may have worked his way onto the roster after a strong preseason as Gruden indicated that the team could keep three quarterbacks. Undrafted rookie Keelan Doss may also have earned the final wide receiver roster spot after a strong preseason.
