Jon Gruden playing coy on Raiders’ starting QB
The Miami Dolphins face a big game against the Las Vegas Raiders this week, but the Raiders aren’t giving them much of a clue on who the starting quarterback will be.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Thursday that he’s “optimistic” that Derek Carr will be able to play after suffering a Week 15 groin injury. However, he also refused to guarantee that, leaving the door open for Marcus Mariota instead.
Gruden is "optimistic" that Derek Carr can be ready to go Saturday but "I am not going to let the cat out of the bag … both quarterbacks have prepared to play." #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) December 24, 2020
The likelihood is that if Carr can play, he will play. Gruden definitely wants to keep the Dolphins on their toes here, but Carr has been practicing and appears to be trending in the right direction.
Carr does appear to be well ahead of schedule on his initial injury timeline. It makes his potential availability a bit of a surprise, but one the Raiders will be pleased about.