There is a lot to excited about with the Raiders entering the season. Not only will they be playing a new city, but this is the most talented roster they’ve had in several seasons.
One of the biggest reasons to be excited is the development of Derek Carr. In his second year wth Jon Gruden, Carr set career highs in completion percentage, passing yards and passer rating. And now that the team added weapons to their offense, such as Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards, Carr should be even more effective this season.
How does Carr rank among his peers at the position entering the season? In a recent article by Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus, he ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks entering the season. Surprisingly, Carr finished inside of the top-16, as Monson ranked him at No. 14. Here is a snippet of PFF’s thoughts on Carr this year:
“Derek Carr is a classic case of a quarterback who is just missing a little something from his game that keeps him from reaching the level his tools suggest he should be in. The 2016 season saw him earn an overall PFF grade of 85.3, and he looked like he was set to become one of the game’s best quarterbacks before he suffered a broken ankle. Carr, like (Kirk) Cousins, is far better from within structure and from a solid platform, but when things break down he struggles.”
As Pro Football Focus mentions, Carr needs to improve outside of structure and when pressure arises. If he can do that, there is nothing stopping him from becoming a top-10 quarterback as soon as this season.
In Carr’s third year under Gruden, expect him to continue to improve now that he has a full assortment of weapons. 2020 should be a career year for Carr with the Raiders.
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