Football is back. it’s really here, even though it feels like it ended just yesterday. Tuesday in Southern California, the Las Vegas Raiders started training camp in Costa Mesa, getting back to a bit of their Los Angeles roots, but also getting that authentic camp vibe while being able to build chemistry. That is a huge part of training camp.
But, training camp is where the real work gets started. It’s where the team starts their 2024 season, because now, every week, they will have football. The pads aren’t on yet, and won’t be till next week, but this is where the real work begins. This is where the work begins to find out who will be the quarterback of the silver and black for the start of the 2024 season, and maybe even the entire season.
The first and second spots on the roster are pretty much determined. It’s either going to be Aidan O’Connell or Minshew as the starter and whoever doesn’t get the job will be the second-string quarterback. So far, it’s hard to tell who’s been leading the way, because both guys have been underwhelming. But there are four quarterbacks on the 90-man roster, and usually, teams carry three on the 53-man roster, so there is a battle for all three spots between four guys, really.
Carter Bradley, an undrafted free agent from South Alabama, and Anthony Brown from Oregon will be battling for that last spot. Those two guys can surprise some people in training camp who nobody seems to be talking about. Everyone is focused on the other two guys, and rightfully so, it’s one of the few battles in the league.
However, the first three days of training camp have shown that there is one guy who may be having the best camp so far out of the four. And no, it’s not O’Connell or Minshew.
Anthony Brown, the former Oregon Ducks quarterback, is a guy who has surprised a ton of people so far. According to several beat writers, he has had some of the best throws of camp so far.
Brown has played some meaningful snaps, preseason and regular season, for the Baltimore Ravens. Now, he is a guy that, if the top two guys play bad enough, and he plays good enough, has the opportunity to completely shift the conversation. He is easily winning the battle for QB3.
Will he win the battle for QB1 or even QB2? Probably not, but he is putting his stamp on things so far.
That’s what training camp is all about.