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Christian Ponder’s tenure with the Minnesota Vikings was sure to end after the 2014 season, and he provided further evidence during one start in place of an injured Teddy Bridgewater (22-for-44 for 222 yards with two interceptions against the Green Bay Packers in Week 5). A free agent this offseason, Ponder signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders and he will reunite with offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave in the Bay Area.
Ponder will enter training camp as the favorite to be Derek Carr’s backup in Oakland, with Matt McGloin as his primary competition and undrafted rookie Cody Fajardo also around. Musgrave’s familiarity with Ponder probably drove the Raiders’ interest in him, and the transition to a being a career backup has now started for the 2011 first-round pick.
McGloin started six games for Oakland in 2013, but another regime change makes him unlikely to push Ponder for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart and Fajardo looks like a practice squad candidate at best. So while it’s clearly faint praise, Ponder looks like the best of a less-than stellar set of Raiders’ quarterbacks behind Carr.
When a veteran signs with the Raiders, that is typically a low-point in his value and a sign of a NFL career being nearly done. Ponder is clearly in that boat entering his fifth season, though he could extend his career longer than expected on a series of one-year deals with multiple teams going forward.
Any extended opportunity to play during the regular season will surely expose his flaws again, but I fully expect Ponder to cement his role as Oakland’s No. 2 quarterback with a good showing during training camp and preseason games. Failure to quickly be named Carr’s backup will be a very bad sign for Ponder though, as long as he is healthy, given the lack of good competition he is facing.
Training camp will start a clear turning point in Ponder’s career, as he transitions from first-round bust to a veteran battling for a spot on the depth chart every year.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
