Matt Schaub is Oakland Raiders top target at QB
Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) passes against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports
Josh McCown was the top stopgap quarterback on the open market, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers recently took him off the market by signing him to a two-year deal. The move didn’t come as a surprise, because the Buccaneers were considered the favorites to land McCown and make him the insurance policy for current starting quarterback Mike Glennon (though McCown, of course, has a legit shot at starting over Glennon in 2014).
With McCown off the market, Matt Schaub would clearly become the top free agent quarterback if released by the Houston Texans, and I would consider it an absolute shock if the Texans decided not to cut ties with him. He’s too expensive for them to keep, and they should draft a quarterback (Teddy Bridgewater) with the first overall pick. Schaub has significant interest from the New York Jets, and now the Oakland Tribune’s Jerry McDonald reports that the quarterback with the “most interest” from the Raiders is indeed Schaub.
This news may not be popular among Raiders fans, but nobody should be surprised from this. Even though his awful 2013 season is still fresh in most people’s minds, he also had several very good seasons before imploding in 2013. I am a firm believer that Schaub is still a good quarterback who will bounce-back, and he would be an excellent stopgap option for Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin, as long as he is affordable. Michael Vick and Josh Freeman are also in the mix, but only Vick should be viewed as a legit option of those two.
It’s going to be interesting to see how thing shake out for the Raiders at the quarterback position, because they could still draft a quarterback in the first round this year despite the expectation that they won’t. But as of right now, the Raiders offseason has been a huge disappointment, and Reggie McKenzie deserves all the criticism he is getting.