The 2019 regular season is officially in the books, and while we're already looking ahead to the 2020 offseason, let's take some time to look back at the Raiders' roster, position by position, to see what the new year could hold for the Silver and Black.
First up, the quarterbacks.
Overview:
For the sixth year in a row, Derek Carr was the man under center for the Silver and Black, starting all 16 games for the second-consecutive year.
In fact, Carr was a true ironman, playing 998 out of 1,021 possible snaps this season – that's 97.75 percent for all of you keeping track at home.
And while 2018 – Carr's first year with Head Coach Jon Gruden – featured its fair share of ups and downs, 2019 was a better year for DC, across the board.
His 21 touchdowns? Two more than a year ago.
Eight interceptions? Two fewer than in 2018.
Oh, and how could we forget that Carr set a career-highs in both completion percentage (70.4) as well as passing yardage (4,054)?
Throw in the fact that the Raiders' wide receivers' room had more people coming and going than a BART station at rush hour this season, and a closer look at Carr's numbers tells an even more impressive story.
Now, were there moments last year that DC would like back? Oh, without question; such is the case for any NFL signal-caller, but the fact remains that Carr was objectively better this year than he was in his first season with Gruden, and shocker, the Raiders tallied three more wins in 2019 than in Gruden's first year back on the sidelines.
Behind Carr on the depth chart this season were Mike Glennon and DeShone Kizer. Glennon appeared in two games, while Kizer didn't make an appearance in his first season as a Raider.
Number to Know:
4,054
Even though his supporting cast out wide seemingly changed week to week (Carr completed passes to 17 players this season), No. 4 set a career-high in passing yards.
Not too shabby considering the guy he was supposed to be throwing passes to all 2019 didn't even make it to Week 1.
Entering 2020…
Derek Carr – Under Contract
Mike Glennon – Unrestricted Free Agent
DeShone Kizer – Under Contract
Nathan Peterman – Exclusive Rights Free Agent
A quick look at where the Silver and Black stand in terms of the quarterback position entering next season, and the biggest question is – who's going to back up Derek Carr in 2020?
Mike Glennon is scheduled to become a free agent, so if he doesn't return for a second season as a Raider, conventional wisdom would suggest that Nathan Peterman (if the team brings him back) and DeShone Kizer would compete for the right to be the second quarterback on the depth chart.
Let's not forget that Peterman nearly won the backup just in '18, before an injury forced him to miss the entirety of this year.
Could Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock also take a flyer on a young signal-caller late in the draft as well to add some competition to the backend of the group? We'll just have to wait and see.
Position Group MVP:
There's only one guy that could earn this award – the man who started every game under center for the Raiders, Derek Carr.
In many senses, 2019 was a career year for Carr; we mentioned his passing yardage and completion percentage, but when you really take a step back and realize everything that DC had to deal with in 2019, it casts his sixth, professional season in a whole different light.
Carr hasn't missed a start since 2017, so combining his durability, as well as his on-field production, and he's the quarterback who understandably gets the nod.
With the NFL schedule set to be released tomorrow, preview the Raiders' 2020 home and away opponents with a look back at past matchups.