The Las Vegas Raiders were really excited about what Geno Smith could do for the team this season, but he has been a big disappointment. The team is 1-4, and Smith leads the NFL with nine interceptions.
The Raiders couldn’t have seen this coming, as they gave Smith a two-year contract extension in the offseason. Despite the quarterback’s rough play, the team hasn’t given reps to another quarterback yet.
It’s clear that head coach Pete Carroll still believes in Smith, but they can’t keep putting him on the field if he’s gonna consistently turn the ball over. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders aren’t giving up on Smith yet, but doubt is starting to creep in.
“I would classify it as mildly concerned,” Fowler wrote. “The Raiders know Smith has to play better — and soon — but there’s no sentiment that Smith is a broken quarterback. So I’m not expecting him to get benched or anything this week. Scouts I have talked to believe Smith has been too late with the ball this season and is relying on arm talent to force throws into tight windows. On the flip side, the Raiders were without their top two tight ends (Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer) and left tackle Kolton Miller on Sunday against Indianapolis. And the receiver depth is not great overall.
“Also, his two picks against the Colts weren’t blatantly bad decisions. The Colts appeared offside on one of them, resulting in a batted pass, and Smith said he threw to a spot where a receiver was supposed to sit against Cover 2 coverage on the other. The situation is obviously not good, but as was pointed out to me by someone with the team, Raiders coach Pete Carroll and Smith have enough sweat equity together from their Seattle days that Carroll could stick with him a little longer as a result.”
Raiders to Ride Things out With Smith?
The Raiders traded for Kenny Pickett before the season, and Aidan O’Connell should come back at some point. The team will have options if they decide that Smith isn’t playing good enough.
However, it sounds like the Raiders would prefer to just keep Smith as the starter for the whole season, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
“If the season spirals down the drain, could the Raiders look at Kenny Pickett? Possibly,” Graziano wrote. “That’s what the Browns were trying to do before they drafted two quarterbacks and Pickett got hurt in camp before landing in Las Vegas on a trade. But for now, it sounds like the Raiders will ride it out with Smith. What I’m hearing from a lot from people around the league is that offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s scheme isn’t creating enough advantages to overcome the Raiders’ personnel deficiencies, and there’s no margin for error if Smith keeps turning the ball over as much as he has.”
Would Benching Smith Actually Help Raiders?
The thing with Smith is that he’s shown he can be a borderline top-10 quarterback in the past. Pickett and O’Connell have never gotten anywhere close to that.
That’s likely why the Raiders will keep starting Smith until he can finally get out of this funk. He has the highest upside of any of their quarterbacks, and they’re paying him big money regardless. If Las Vegas had an exciting rookie, then yeah, there would be a reason to pivot at quarterback, but neither Pickett nor O’Connell is likely to be a long-term starting quarterback option.
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