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Matt McGloin Making Waves During NFL Preseason

Moxie alert, everybody: Matt McGloin is having himself a fantastic training camp this preseason with the Oakland Raiders.

McGloin is currently slotted as the Raiders’ third-string quarterback behind rookie Derek Carr and the newly signed Matt Schaub, but has been getting increased reps thanks to a rib injury that has kept Carr sidelined. Despite his lowly status on the depth chart, McGloin has posted some of the best numbers for the Raiders in the summer. In three preseason games, McGloin has gone 28-for-50 with 366 yards (the 10th highest total league-wide), three touchdown passes, and no interceptions. He has a completion percentage of 56 percent and an overall QB rating of 99.2.

He also threw this awesome game-winning touchdown against the Detroit Lions (note McGloin’s celly).

McGloin is no stranger to being overlooked, probably because he has been throughout his entire career. To recap his NFL rise: He arrived in Oakland as an undrafted free agent in 2013, and was thought to be nothing more than a camp body. At the time, he was stuck behind Terrelle Pryor, Matt Flynn, and fellow rookie Tyler Wilson in the preseason. It seemed unlikely that McGloin would be able to contribute, let alone survive roster cuts.

However, Tyler Wilson flamed out and was waived, making McGloin the third-string quarterback. Four weeks into the season McGloin would be promoted again, after Matt Flynn had a string of awful outings in relief of the injured Pryor. He wound up making his debut as a starter in week 11, leading the Raiders to victory against the Houston Texans. McGloin would go on to start six games for the Raiders in 2013, winning the Rookie of the Week award and greatly exceeding the expectations that typically come with the undrafted free agent tag.

McGloin’s numbers tailed off toward the end of the 2013 season with a pair of lackluster Week 15 and 16 performances. This past offseason, the Raiders traded for the once-lethal Schaub to lead their offense, but with Carr recovering from injury, McGloin again has the opportunity to prove doubters wrong and become Schaub’s primary backup. Sure, he’s playing third-string defenses, but all players need to work their ways up the depth chart somehow. If McGloin has shown us anything since his days wearing the white and blue, it probably wouldn’t be too smart to count him out.

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About the Author

David Abruzzese

David is a senior from Rochester, NY, nestled right in beautiful Western New York. He is majoring in Broadcast Journalism, and as an avid sports fan, he passionately supports the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. He is the first Penn Stater from his family, and couldn’t be prouder to represent Penn State University. In his free time, he likes to alpine ski, and play golf. You can follow him on Twitter @abruz11, and can contact him via email at [email protected].

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