By Nick Brinkerhoff
Ah, welcome to Las Vegas. Land of the heat and home of the broke. After all, I guess it’s fitting that the Raiders have a fan section called, “The Black Hole.”
Whether that is due to the emptiness fans feel as each season slips away, or because fan’s wallets were drained from gambling, we’ll let you decide. We can guarantee that BetBasics won’t let you fall down into that dark abyss though.
Either way, the Raiders may be good this year? Like, actually good? After last year’s countless disasters, the team finally turned the page, hiring Josh McDaniels as head coach and trading for superstar receiver Davante Adams.
Owner Mark Davis deserves credit for his attempts to fix the organization this offseason. Now only if he could do something about that haircut. Sorry, low hanging fruit.
The eight year veteran quarterback Derek Carr seems poised to enter 2022 with great weapons in the passing game, something he sorely lacked last year when Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller were the last two left standing in the locker room.
Adams, Renfrow, and Waller will also have fantastic depth behind them with receivers Demarcus Robinson, Mack Hollins and Keelan Cole alongside backup tight end Foster Moreau. Combine that with a backfield of Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake, and now we have something going here.
Despite losing previous backup quarterback Marcus Mariota to the Falcons, the Raiders did an admirable job finding a replacement, one with plenty of starting experience, for better or for worse.
Who is the Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback?
Since entering the league in 2018, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens has always been on call. After all, backing up Jimmy Garoppolo is no easy feat. The often injured 49ers starter has always put his backups in stay ready mode, making a guy like Mullens a part-time starter.
He has started 17 games over the last four years, posting a 5-12 record in those games. An undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi, Mullens made the 49ers roster in 2018, which is even more impressive once you consider he went on to start eight games for the team that year.
Out of the other potential backups, no one had more experience than Mullens in the quarterback room.
However, Mullens is not known for his arm strength, a concern that has continued to be put on display throughout his career. With that in mind, he still shows that he can play within his means, focusing on a short and intermediate passing game, one that can be very successful in short stints.
Despite posting a 26-22 career touchdown to interception ratio, Mullens is a guy that does not lack confidence. He also steps into a Raiders roster that would easily have the most talented supporting cast he’s played with to date.
Mullens burst onto the scene with a great initial run in San Francisco, but then fizzled after that. However, the former undrafted free agent has carved out a nice career to this point. Raiders fans and bettors won’t be thrilled to see him in the starting lineup in the event of a potential Carr injury, but it could certainly be worse.
On an emergency basis, Mullens is a fine option to keep the Raiders afloat, while also maybe even adding some money to your wallet, surprising the oddsmakers who set a high line. The Raiders cannot rely on Mullens for an extended stretch, but he’s someone to turn to every once in a while.