The Oakland Raiders have certainly had an incredibly dramatic season in 2011. Longtime owner and NFL icon Al Davis passed away just several days ago. The team just lost starting quarterback Jason Campbell for the rest of the season yesterday afternoon. Yet the Raiders are playing with the sort of emotion and toughness that Davis would be proud of, and they seem intent on challenging the Chargers for the AFC West crown. Much of that will depend on what they do to address the quarterback position.
With so many options and rumors going around the Oakland Raiders this morning, we thought it’d be helpful to break down and summarize the team’s options once again as they try to act aggressively yet responsibly for the short and long term direction of the franchise:
1. Stick With What Ya Got
Kyle Boller is the back-up on the roster. Terrelle Pryor is the project. With a strong defense and a run-first offense, Hue Jackson could stick with the guys he’s got and trust the system put in place. This is likely not going to happen with so many rumors of the Raiders scrambling for a new face under center, but it’s possible they could go the efficient route and stick with Boller. Given the presence of such speed on the roster, however, it would take away much of the Raiders’ dynamism to do so.
2. Trade For Kyle Orton
The Broncos are clearly sellers (with the rumored Brandon Lloyd deal to the Rams already in the works) and so Orton could come cheap. He’s not a sexy addition, but he can definitely move the sticks and he comes cheaply. That’s a hard option to ignore for the price and situation.
3. Trade For Carson Palmer
Mike Brown’s personal prisoner isn’t likely going anyway. Brown would rather stand on his principles than earn any real return which will eventually imprison the Bengals as well (despite their positive record). But if the Raiders could pry Palmer away, he might be the most dynamic of all of the options for the second half of the season.
4. Sign David Garrard
The best quarterback free agent on the market by far is coming off a career best season in Jacksonville where he had a strong completion percentage (64.5) and an ability to find the end zone (23 touchdowns). This is the best bet for a team in need with no draft picks to spare.