The Las Vegas Raiders have placed quarterback Marcus Mariota and linebacker Tanner Muse on the Reserve/Injured List to begin the 2020 NFL season.
The Raiders also re-signed linebacker Kyle Wilber and tackle Sam Young in a corresponding move to fill the spots left on the roster. They also made sure to add quarterback DeShone Kizer to the practice squad with Nathan Peterman taking over as the backup quarterback.
Mariota and Muse will be eligible to return after three weeks as part of the protocol for players placed on IR. As a result, the Raiders made efforts to ensure that they have a surplus of options in-house to help them make it through to begin the season.
Mariota’s arrival in free agency created plenty of speculation regarding the looming competition under center with Derek Carr going into training camp, however, this notion was quickly dispelled by Carr’s superior play leading up to the 2020 campaign. Although reports indicated that the former has been dealing with a pectoral issue, the exact nature of the injury remains undisclosed.
With Mariota out, Peterman is now slated to serve as Carr’s backup for the first three weeks of the season. Given Peterman’s track record as a plug-in starter and head coach Jon Gruden’s affinity for having depth under center, it comes as no surprise to see that Kizer has made his return to the Raiders.
The former second-round pick was picked up by Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock off waivers following stints with the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers. Kizer is now the emergency option for the Raiders at quarterback in the event that Carr and Peterman suffer any setbacks.
Regardless, it is safe to say that Las Vegas is hoping that Mariota can get back on track following an underwhelming showing in camp. After all, he is costing the team $9.125 million against the cap this season after signing a two-year, $17.6 million in the offseason.
