Jimmy Garoppolo’s struggles at Las Vegas Raiders training camp are continuing to give fans reason to be very concerned as the team nears the start of the 2023 NFL season.
At the end of their 2022 campaign, the Las Vegas Raiders made the bold decision to move on from Derek Carr after nine up-and-down seasons with the franchise. Despite making Josh McDaniels their new head coach before the start of the season, the offense actually took some steps back even with Pro Bowl talent and an offensive-minded head coach guiding the way.
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Due to their disappointing showing, Carr became the scapegoat when he was benched before the season ended and cut ahead of NFL free agency. Many assumed the franchise might make a strong play for one of the star quarterbacks that were up for grabs this offseason, however, the Raiders approached the open spot on the depth chart cautiously and chose to go with a short-term fix in San Francisco 49ers veteran Jimmy Garoppolo.
On the surface, the signing was a solid move and the organization acquired a competent signal-caller with a winning pedigree. However, they also added a player coming off a pair of major injuries to his shoulder and foot over the last year. Well, it seems those previous issues may be having an effect on his play so far this summer.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw four interceptions at a recent Las Vegas Raiders practice
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At the start of the Las Vegas Raiders training camp, reports started to drip out that the nine-year veteran was having issues completing deep passes to the team’s strong wide receiver corps that includes superstar Davante Adams. While problematic, Garoppolo has never been a great deep ball thrower and this is a new offense he is learning. However, it seems that now even more mid and short-range passes are proving troublesome for “Jimmy G.”
Late last week, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Garoppolo ended what was an up-and-down week of practice by throwing four more interceptions on Friday. It is alarming because the Raiders’ defense was not good at getting takeaways last season, and despite hardly any truly notable additions to that side of the ball in the offseason, they are having less of an issue in that area against their new starting quarterback.
- Jimmy Garoppolo stats (2023): 2,437 passing yards, 16 TD, 4 INT, 103 rating
It seems his inconsistent play in training camp has some wondering if his surgically repaired shoulder or previously broken foot is really healthy. In a recent poll from SB Nation, 70% of Raiders fans felt the QB would miss games in 2023. Garoppolo is not gaining confidence and new supporters thus far in his short Raiders tenure.