A lot went right for the Raiders in the preseason as they racked up a perfect 4-0 record. Perhaps most notably, Las Vegas didn’t commit a single turnover.
But the Raiders’ most turnover-prone player, quarterback Derek Carr, has yet to play a snap in 2022.
This leads to an obvious question: can the Raiders continue to hold on to the football as Carr, who has more lost fumbles than any player in the NFL since 2014, enters the fray? Especially with an apparently suspect offensive line?
Carr plays a turnover-prone position, as all of last year’s league leaders in that category were quarterbacks. Carr’s issue is an excess of fumbles, however. He talked about his need to improve in that area before the 2021 campaign.
Here’s part of what Carr told The Athletic about this issue last year, after he fumbled 11 times in 2020, losing eight, which led the league.
There are literally some that you can’t avoid.
But the one thing that I am doing is that I know I can do it better. I know there are a good majority of them where I am like, “Bro, just get the ball out of your hand. Bro, hold on to the ball.” There are some where people are hitting me and I am trying to do too much. I am trying to toss the ball with guys holding on to both my arms. It’s not from a lack of effort or want-to. I am trying to get it to somebody.
We’ve watched every single fumble. And we were honest about what was the reasoning behind them. And we rep the ones that I control every day with (coach Greg Olson). All offseason, we repped it.
After Carr paid extra attention to the issue, he still fumbled 13 times in 2021. Luckily for Las Vegas, only five fumbles were lost to the opponent.
So is this the year that Carr holds on to the football when he faces duress in the pocket? New coach Josh McDaniels consistently praised his backup quarterbacks in the preseason for doing just that. Carr is, of course, expected to do the same.
McDaniels had plenty of examples to point to in the preseason, as the Raiders’ offensive line was his team’s most suspect group and allowed a lot of pressure. They displayed some improvement in the preseason finale against the Patriots, however, and star left tackle Kolton Miller will make his debut in Week 1, just as Carr will.
McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler will likely look to improve up front in the weeks ahead, as teams cut their rosters down to 53 players. But it’s reasonable to assume that the line, especially the right side, could be one of the Raiders’ weak spots.
That’s bad news for Carr. The good news, however, is that star wide receiver Davante Adams will also make his debut Week 1. He’s the best wideout in football according to most, and a master at getting open quickly, providing a trusted outlet for Carr. The two built a rapport during their years together at Fresno State and have maintained it via their friendship and offseason training.
Ultimately, Carr simply has to be better at limiting turnovers, especially fumbles, when under pressure, just as he aimed to do in 2021. As Carr said last year, sometimes he simply has to accept that he’s going to get sacked and not try and do too much with the football.
But he needs help from his offensive line. They have to improve as the season goes along and hold up reasonably well for McDaniels’ offense to reach its potential.
And with Adams to turn to when the pocket pressure increases, in addition to playmakers Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller, Carr should have more options when his pass protection breaks down.
During training camp, McDaniels said, “You can’t win until you learn how to not lose.” He was alluding to penalties and turnovers. After the Raiders’ new coach watched his backup signal-callers take care of the ball while under near-constant pressure, he’ll expect the same from Carr (minus the near-constant pressure, ideally).
Can Carr get it done? After he tried to improve a year ago and did not, we’ll have to wait and see.
Also, consider this: perhaps the Raiders’ offense will be so explosive that Carr can get away with a few excess fumbles. Las Vegas went toe-to-toe with the AFC Champion Bengals in the 2021 playoffs, after all, and now they have Adams and a retooled, new-age defense. (It should be noted that Carr fumbled in that playoff game as well, and he also threw an INT.)
But if the Raiders are to fulfill their own lofty expectations, they’ll likely need to hold on to the football during the regular season, just as they did in the preseason. It will be a team-wide effort, but Carr, as he always does for Las Vegas, will have to lead the way.
