Quarterbacks have been the talk of the Las Vegas Raiders’ offseason since the very second this year’s offseason began. On top of it being the most important position in American football – and potentially American sports in general – the quarterback room as a whole is, by far, the most questionable position for the Silver and Black.
Will newcomer Gardner Minshew be able to lead the team to a postseason berth? Although Minshew has a career record of 22-27, Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers stand as the most prolific pass-catching duo the 28-year-old signal caller has played with. In fact, on paper, it’s hard to find a better offensive weapons group than that of Sin City’s.
But, as Raider Nation learned last season, the term ‘on paper’ means nothing.
Under then-rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders finished their ’23 campaign with a losing record of 8-9 due to offensive struggles. Despite having the aforementioned duo of Adams and Meyers, Las Vegas ranked 27th in yards per contest (289.5) with the 23rd-most points per game (19.5).
However, last season was O’Connell’s introduction in the National Football League. His transition into the NFL wasn’t made any easier by the head coaching change halfway through the season, either. Perhaps better things are ahead of the Purdue alum moving forward.
These are the topics Raider Nation can’t stop discussing amongst each other. But while Minshew and O’Connell stand at the forefront of quarterback talk for the Raiders, another signal caller is making sure he’s in a great position to earn a job for himself: Anthony Brown Jr., who’s fighting to be the team’s emergency quarterback.
Las Vegas Raiders QB Anthony Brown Jr. continues his fight for emergency quarterback
Signing a future reserve contract back in January, Brown Jr. stands as the second-longest tenured quarterback in Sin City. And, up to this point, the 25-year-old has done everything in his power to ensure his time with the Silver and Black continues.
Brown Jr. used minicamp to his advantage as he consistently threw accurate balls to his targets. On the first day, he located rookie running back Dylan Laube and tossed him the ball for six. On the second, Brown Jr. went deep and hit Kristian Wilkerson for a touchdown.
In addition to showing off his throwing abilities, the first-year Raider used his legs to move the chains multiple times.
The consistent accuracy of Brown Jr. should come as little surprise. During the 2022 preseason, the then-rookie quarterback posted the third-highest completion percentage among all quarterbacks during preseason (74.5%). He did this on 35 passes, totaling only 12 incompletions. In addition, his yards per pass of 9.9 ranked first among all throwers.
In Week 18 of the ’22 season, Brown Jr. was given the nod to start – this time, the results weren’t great. The now-former Ravens’ QB ended his day with a completion percentage of 43.18% along with two interceptions and a fumble loss. The silver lining? Brown Jr. was able to total 286 passing yards on 19 completions.
The above is nothing to celebrate, but it isn’t anything to fear, either.
Jarrett Stidham came to the Raiders with a career completion percentage of 50% and twice as many interceptions thrown (4) as touchdowns (2). That didn’t stop Stidham from tossing four touchdowns in two games with the Silver and Black, however, nor did it stop him from completing 67.65% of passes and totaling 365 passing yards against a San Francisco defense that allowed the second-least yardage in 2022, as well as the least points allowed league-wide.
Brown Jr. has the talent to accomplish what Stidham once did, should his arm need to be relied on. But first, the Oregon alum must prove in training camp that his minicamp success wasn’t a fluke.
*Top photo: Kenya Allen/PressBox
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