After deciding to carry four quarterbacks past the 53-man roster deadline on Saturday, the Oakland Raiders have decided to release rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson, according to ProFootballTalk:
Raiders are waiving fourth-round QB Tyler Wilson, per league source.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 1, 2013
The Raiders drafted Wilson in the fourth round of this year’s draft, but he struggled tremendously during training camp and preseason. In a crowded competition for the starting quarterback position, he was outplayed and fell behind undrafted rookie Matt McGloin on the depth chart. Wilson did not play in the final two preseason games for the Raiders.
While the Raiders hope to sign Wilson to the practice squad, he is unlikely to clear waivers as many teams are expected to be interested. Wilson leaves the Raiders with a signing bonus of $450,900 and any team that claims him will have to pay the minimum salaries for 2013 through 2016.
Many questioned the Raiders’ decision to keep four quarterbacks yesterday, but the team tried their best not to waive their fourth round draft pick for obvious reasons. It was ultimately a difficult decision for general manager Reggie McKenzie to admit that he made a mistake drafting Wilson.
For an organization that is in the process of rebuilding, Oakland can’t afford to waste any more draft picks. For now, Oakland will go with Terrelle Pryor, Matt Flynn, and Matt McGloin as their three quarterbacks on the roster. It’s still unknown at this point who will be the opening day quarterback for Oakland as they travel to face the Indianapolis Colts on September 8.
