Will The Oakland Raiders Regret Cutting Christian Ponder?

By Jonathan George | Sep 8, 2015

With the news that the Oakland Raiders made the final cuts to get their roster down to 53 players, one move that came to many as a surprise, unlike the release of Trent Richardson, was the release of veteran quarterback and free agent pick up Christian Ponder. Ponder, a player the Raiders brought in to compete with Matt McGloin for the back-up quarterback spot, was signed to a one year, $1.5 million dollar deal in March.

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Unfortunately for Oakland, the money they paid to Ponder is gone, as it was all guaranteed. While 1.5 million might not sound like a lot of money in the grand scheme of things considering the Raiders have about 20 million in cap space, it still was a waste. McGloin clearly outplay Ponder in the preseason, as the preseason stats show, forcing Oakland to release Ponder and eat the contract to offer his roster spot to another player.

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A bigger concern is the fact that Oakland is going to apparently go with two quarterbacks on their active roster. This isn’t an anomaly in today’s NFL, but with the question marks and concerns Oakland has on their offensive line at right tackle, an argument could be made that since the Raiders already paid Ponder they should have just kept him. Again, $1.5 million is a lot to pay a 3rd sting guy, but it’s even worse to pay a guy that who’s not on your team.

One of the reasons Ponder was brought in was his familiarity with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s system, as he played for him while both of them were in Minnesota. Ponder was never a superstar while playing for the Vikings, but he was serviceable at worst and as a Raider quarterback could help starter Derek Carr learn the intricacies of the passing game. He has game time experience as well; something that could be invaluable in a pressure situation.

In all honesty, it definitely appeared that Ponder faced a lot more pressure while under center for Oakland from defenses. He took five sacks while playing in the preseason, by far more than any other Oakland quarterback. He still managed a decent 81.3 passer rating while under much more pressure, and it would have been interesting to see how he would have performed with better protection.

Ultimately the Raiders went the “cheaper” route by signing quarterback Garrett Gilbert to the practice squad, presumably as a doomsday scenario player if both Carr and McGloin go down. Technically the move isn’t cheaper, however, as they will pay both Ponder and Gilbert in 2015.

May 19, 2015; Alameda, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio at organized team activities at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

McGloin seems to have picked up Musgrave’s system well, however, and Oakland didn’t see the need for three quarterbacks on the active roster. If injuries suddenly befall the quarterback position, however, head coach Jack Del Rio might be wishing he left Ponder on the team. This would especially sting if the Raiders compete for a playoff spot as many think they will this season. Veteran quarterbacks become very important in pressure spots during a game or situation.

In the end, the Raiders paid $1.5 million for approximately six months of practice time from Ponder, hardly a great investment. Time will tell if the decision to cut him was a mistake or not, but as long as Carr stays on the field and plays well it should be a moot point. As Carr has not been in the league long enough to prove his durability, anything that keeps him from playing all 16 games will cause fans to pause and doubt the decision to not keep Ponder on the roster.

Next: How close was this prediction of the 53 man Raider roster?

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