Raiders' QB3 Battle in Preseason Seems to be Momentarily Nullified

The Las Vegas Raiders released quarterbacks Carter Bradley and Nathan Peterman.

Aug 23, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Carter Bradley (14) throws the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders have begun to narrow down their 53-man roster, with some coming as surprises, and others not so much.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Las Vegas is releasing undrafted free-agent quarterback Carter Bradley, with intentions of adding him to the practice squad.

This move comes as somewhat of a shock, as Bradley seemed to solidify his spot as the third-string quarterback in Friday's preseason finale against the San Francisco 49ers. He threw for 169 yards and a touchdown, while also having thrown an interception, helping lead the Raiders comeback efforts in what was eventually a 24-24 tie.

The #Raiders are releasing quarterback Carter Bradley, per source. Hoping to get back on practice squad.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 27, 2024

"In his first game, all he [Bradley] did was hand the ball off nine times and then, we let him sling it last week," said Raiders coach Antonio Pierce in the week leading up to Friday's contest. "And he did a good job again last night. So, it will be good to see him in this first half sling it and see what he does in the third quarter as well. But I think he's done a good job of growing. Like all rookies, you have your ups and downs, and I think, when you have a quarterback battle, there's not a lot of reps there. So, there wasn't a lot of opportunities for him, but he'll have a good chance to show off [Friday]."

For the most part, Bradley did just that. Aside from the costly interception in the end zone, the undrafted rookie made the most of his limited reps this preseason.

Hours before Fowler's report, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Raiders had released quarterback Nathan Peterman, whom the club recently signed. Peterman played the first half of Las Vegas' preseason finale but didn't quite stand out until the final drive of the half. This move makes much more sense than the Bradley decision.

The release of Bradley indicates the Raiders may have some "bubble" players in mind that they would really like to make the roster. They are likely confident Bradley will still be available to add to the practice squad, which would put him back on the path to being the third-string.

Or, perhaps, Las Vegas wants to take its chances with any quarterbacks that might be available after roster cuts.

As of now, though, it seems the Raiders will only have two quarterbacks on the active roster by the day's end.

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