For the majority of NFL teams, the preseason is a great time to give a number of different players plenty of reps, regardless of position. A key one is typically the quarterback position, with some teams watching two players duke it out for the starting gig, while others have a backup battle at hand, and others just want their young guns to get some in-game experience.
Apparently, that's not the case for the Las Vegas Raiders. With Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota both firmly entrenched as the No. 1 and No. 2 quarterbacks on the roster, and the latter of the two dealing with a quad strain, it's been Nathan Peterman who has taken the reins for every pass that the Raiders have thrown in their preseason games. However, it's not quite true that he's taken every snap, seeing as Case Cookus came in and handed the ball off to fullback Garrett Groshek in their game against the Seahawks.
Listen to sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest NFL team gear
But that's beside the point. As Reddit user PoorlyLitKiwi (interesting name choice, by the way) pointed out with near perfect accuracy, though commenters made sure that Cookus got his respect, it has been Peterman running the show through the first two games. For that reason — along with some pretty strong play — Peterman leads the NFL preseason with 45 completions and 418 yards through two games.
Is this significant at all? Nope. But it's pretty interesting that a guy who has thrown three touchdowns to 12 interceptions throughout his less-than-stellar career is still floating around in the NFL. Among all players to have attempted 100 passes in the NFL since 2000, Peterman's 34.0 passer rating is the second lowest behind only Kurt Kittner, a one-year failure for the Atlanta Falcons in 2003.
So why is he still getting chances? Jon Gruden really seems to like having him around, and his professionalism is something that his coaches and teammates take note of.
"Nate Peterman is a true professional, he takes his job very seriously, he loves the game of football, he loves to compete at a high level and he cares for his teammates," said WR Zay Jones after their preseason victory over Seattle. "When he’s in the huddle, when he’s out there on the field, he’s gonna do the best that he possibly can."
So long as he's giving the team a positive boost in areas like leadership and competitive spirit, it seems as though he certainly deserves a spot on the roster. It just may be better that he's doing his job behind Carr and Mariota, and leaving most the football to them.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram