Oakland Raiders: What do private workouts for Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins mean?

The Oakland Raiders have publicly backed Derek Carr as their franchise quarterback, but they will take a look at Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins. Why?

Another week added more buzz to a link between the Oakland Raiders and quarterbacks. Mike Mayock had to answer questions about the Derek Carr and his standing with the team since the former NFL Network draft guru took the general manager job.

As the draft approaches, more outsiders raise about eyebrows about the Raiders’ quarterback situation. Countless mock drafts have slotted a rookie signal-caller to the Silver and Black—essentially suggesting Carr’s tenure in Oakland could come to an end.

It’s not impossible to think head coach Jon Gruden would select Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins with the No. 4 overall pick. Back in March, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur responded to a report about Gruden’s interest in Murray with a thought about his eye for Haskins:

Gruden will take a look at both quarterbacks in private workouts, per MMQB’s Albert Breer. “I’m told the Raiders are on the books to conduct private workouts with Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray one after the other next week.”

What could we take away from the scheduled private sessions? Right now, it may be nothing more than due diligence. Then again, the Raiders may want to give off the impression they’re strongly considering a quarterback to generate trade interest, specifically from a team willing to move up for Murray or Haskins. Finally, where there’s smoke, there’s possibly a genuine desire to acquire one of the two passers.

According to Breer, Mayock sounds committed to Carr, but he’s not going to overlook the position because it’s part of his job to look at every possibility.

"Oakland GM Mike Mayock told me this last month on Derek Carr: “Derek is 27, he’ll be 28 in March, and we think he’s a franchise quarterback…So do I think there are a whole lot of quarterbacks out there better than Derek? No. But is it my job to always check, and look? Yeah.” So that’s what he’s doing. And there’s also the asset management aspect to consider."

Based on Mayock’s comments, it’s fair to acknowledge Carr isn’t untouchable. While he’s a strong favorite to start the 2019 season under center, the Raiders likely want to see Murray or Haskins up close and assess their talents. Will one or both blow Mayock and Gruden away? If they do, team brass would likely have an interesting discussion if both prospects are available at No. 4 overall.

Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL. No one can blame Mayock and Gruden for doing their homework on the top two prospects in this year’s class. The decision to select one becomes another conversation. Murray or Haskins have a shot to go No. 1 overall in April. One may fall to No. 4, but is he good enough to supplant Carr? That’s what Mayock and Gruden probably want to find out. We’ll have answers to those questions in a month.