The Raiders signed quarterback Nathan Peterman to the practice squad on Wednesday and head coach Jon Gruden said on Thursday that the birth of AJ McCarron’s child this week was part of the impetus for the move.
McCarron’s been away from practice and that left the Raiders in need of someone to quarterback their scout team as they prepare to face the Broncos. Gruden also pointed to the chance to work with Peterman over the upcoming offseason as part of what led to the signing.
Gruden acknowledged that Peterman had “some problems” while throwing 12 interceptions in 130 pass attempts during his time with the Bills, but Gruden called Peterman the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2017 draft class while he was still working for ESPN and said Thursday that he hopes to get him moving in the right direction.
“Hopefully we can take him into the offseason program and see if we can’t restart him and get him going,” Gruden said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
Derek Carr and McCarron are under contract for next season, but there promises to be a lot of roster shuffling for the Raiders before the 2019 season and Peterman could wind up somewhere in the mix should Gruden like how the reboot takes shape.