Raiders To Work Out Nathan Peterman

The Raiders will work out quarterback Nathan Peterman, according to Ryan Talbot of New York Upstate (Twitter link). Head coach Jon Gruden was high on Peterman in the lead up to the 2017 draft, so Gruden might not need much convincing to sign him. 

Peterman is ready to walk in and be a contributor,” Gruden wrote for ESPN in April of 2017. “He just looks like a pro quarterback — coming out of the huddle, running an offense with different formations, shifting, motioning, different patterns that other colleges don’t run. Peterman will recognize route combinations and associate formations.”

Gruden went on to predict that Peterman could “get in a huddle from day one and look at ten grown men and tell them where to go and what to do and handle a versatile snap count.” So far, that hasn’t been the case. The 24-year-old was released by the Bills earlier this year after posting arguably the worst results of any quarterback in NFL history.

Pro Football Reference’ “indexed” statistics, which adjust for era, allow us to contrast Peterman’s performance in today’s pass-happy league versus the bygone eras of run-based offenses and defense-dominated games. The results aren’t pretty. The adjusted numbers show that Peterman is dead last among all quarterbacks since 1970 in passer rating, yards per attempt, interception percentage, and numerous other passing statistics.

Still, the Lions, BroncosBucs, and Raiders are all at least a little curious about the Pittsburgh product. Given Gruden’s friction with starter Derek Carr, this is an audition to keep an eye on.

View Comments (27)