Terrelle Pryor might indeed be the Raiders quarterback of the future. Kyle Boller might be a serviceable replacement. But let’s be honest: with a successful season on the line in a very winnable AFC West, the Oakland Raiders need to think long and hard about what they’re going to do at quarterback in the face of the Jason Campbell. That said, the current state of the roster was made obvious when Raiders head coach Hue Jackson went with a trick play to have Shane Lechler throw a 35-yard touchdown strike. In short, that won’t work every week.
That’s exactly why the Raiders need to seriously consider bringing in David Garrard as a free agent signing for the rest of the season. While Garrard would have no time to master the playbook in time to play against the Chiefs, the Raiders have a bye week coming in week 8 which would give an offensive mastermind like Jackson the chance to get Garrard up to speed for the second half of the season.
Garrard was ousted unexpectedly by the Jags before the beginning of the season after a career year in 2010. It sunk the Jags season and Garrard has yet to sign, but an opening with the Raiders is the ideal situation for a veteran like Garrard. The pieces are in place in Oakland. The team is playing inspired football. The running game takes pressure off of the passing game and yet the Raiders have talented receivers for Garrard to use.
As for the Raiders, they’d be getting a solid passer who had career numbers last year in touchdowns (23) and completion percentage (64.5) and can also make plays with his athletic ability. If the Raiders are going to seriously make a playoff run this season, it’s hard to imagine them doing so with Boller as the long-term starting quarterback. Perhaps Pryor can acclimate to the NFL level quicker than expected, but the learning curve will likely be sharp. That means the Raiders will need help somewhere and Garrard could and should be that guy.