The Oakland Raiders have had a very busy day. After sending star pass rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago in a blockbuster trade, they have reportedly acquired quarterback AJ McCarron from the Buffalo Bills.
Source: The #Raiders traded for QB AJ McCarron.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2018
This makes a lot more of immediate sense for Oakland than the Mack trade does.
McCarron was clearly the odd man out in Buffalo — there’s a reason he played the entire final preseason game — but could still be a serviceable backup to Derek Carr.
Oakland was looking at a situation before this trade where it would have been either Connor Cook or EJ Manuel as the backup. And while Manuel was stellar in the fourth preseason game this past Thursday, he’s been abysmal throughout the summer.
McCarron will serve as an upgrade to Oakland compared to Cook and Manuel, albeit a minor one, in the case of a potential injury to Carr.