Raiders QB Derek Carr ranked inside top-15 quarterbacks heading into 2021
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One of the biggest question marks every offseason for the past three or four years now is will the Raiders replace Derek Carr? And every year, Carr remains and continues to get better and better. But despite his improvement, where does Carr rank among the best quarterbacks in the NFL heading into the season?
In a recent article by former NFL quarterback Bruce Gradkowski of Pro Football Focus, Carr ranked inside the top-15. More specifically, he came in at No. 13. Here is what Gradkowkski had to say about Carr entering the year:
“Derek Carr finished 2020 with the eighth-best PFF passing grade and more than doubled his big-time throws from the previous season. He also engineered the only meaningful loss the Chiefs experienced during the regular season. Carr and the Raiders finished that game with 265 yards on six explosive (15-plus yard) pass plays.
That being said: Why are there still lingering questions every offseason about Carr and his future with the Raiders? He continues to prove himself as a pure passer from the pocket and also showed the ability to be more aggressive downfield, but the game is changing. There comes a time when a QB must tuck it and run for a first down or make a play in a key situation. Sometimes Carr gets careless with the football in the pocket, and he’s prone to sack fumbles. Carr has yet to get the Raiders over the hump, and they are not a contender in the playoff picture.”
In fairness to Carr, the recent struggles of the Raiders and their lack of playoff appearances have nothing to do with him. In 2020, the Raiders had the 30th-ranked scoring defense and it was the biggest reason they lost games to the Dolphins, Colts and Chargers late last season.
If Carr can continue to play at the level we saw in 2020 and the defense can improve at all, the Raiders should be in playoff contention. If the defense can approach the middle-of-the-pack, there is no reason the Raiders shouldn’t be in the playoffs.
Carr is certainly one of the top-15 quarterbacks in the league and if you were to watch him at all in 2020, you would know that he is closer to No. 10 than No. 15.
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