Earlier this week, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce revealed that rookie undrafted free agent and quarterback Carter Bradley would start the preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the Raiders apparently changed course and decided to start fellow signal-caller Nathan Peterman instead. And, after what we've seen during his lackluster career, things went exactly how you'd expect for much of the first half.
Making matters worse for Peterman, he had to play the Niners' starting defense for a few series. Now, Peterman's receivers didn't help him out, as they didn't get much separation. But he didn't help himself, either, with some terrible throws.
But Peterman did manage to redeem himself at the end of the first half with under two minutes remaining. He led the Raiders on a 10-play, 79-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Kristian Wilkerson.
COUNT IT! #RaiderNation#SFvsLV | 📺 FOX5 pic.twitter.com/J1lsTMiW43
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 24, 2024
Peterman completed 7-of-10 passes for 79 yards on the drive and finished his night 12-of-19 for 108 yards and the touchdown. He did not throw an interception in the outing, although he came close a few times.
The Raiders already have the top-two spots on the quarterback depth chart wrapped up with starter Gardner Minshew and top backup Aidan O'Connell, so Peterman, who was signed late in training camp, is simply fighting for a roster spot, along with undrafted free agent Carter Bradley.
It's doubtful he did enough to grab a spot, but he might have earned himself a job on the practice squad with that late drive. Las Vegas will trim its roster down to 53 players by Tuesday, Aug. 27, so we'll know by then where Peterman stands.