Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota was expected to play on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 of the preseason. Instead, head coach Jon Gruden opted to go against playing Mariota, out of an abundance of caution.
Following the game, Gruden addressed Mariota's quad strain and tried to provide some sort of timeline for the backup quarterback, via ProFootballTalk.
“He’s just not ready to go, physically,” coach Jon Gruden said after the game. “He competed against the Rams [in joint practices], but he’s limited. We’re not calling plays for him right now with the lack of limitation. He’s got a quad strain.”
Despite the quad strain for Derek Carr's backup with the Raiders, Gruden didn't rule out Mariota playing in the preseason finale against the 49ers.
“We think he’s got a chance to play against the 49ers. The way he plays, we do not want to get him out in a live situation and let him cut it loose. He’s just not ready to go. He was ready tonight on an emergency basis, but right now he’s just not ready to go.”
Mariota was a hot commodity name in the offseason for teams that could see their starter go down. When Carson Wentz went down for the Indianapolis Colts, many speculated whether or not the Raiders would entertain the idea of sending Mariota elsewhere to a place like Indy. But Gruden and the front office seem smitten on the former first round pick.
Hopefully Mariota is back at full go soon for the Raiders.
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