After starting six games under center for the Oakland Raiders in 2013, Matt McGloin saw action in just one game last season (12-for-19 for 129 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions) as he took a clear back seat to rookie Derek Carr. Carr is again in place as the Raiders’ clear-cut starting quarterback, which leaves McGloin battling for a backup role and quite possibly a roster spot looking toward the start of training camp.

The Raiders signed Christian Ponder in free agency, as a theoretical upgrade to their quarterback depth for this season. With his experience in offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s system, from when the two were with the Minnesota Vikings, Ponder would probably have to be injured to not start the season No. 2 on the depth chart for Oakland.

The training camp competition to be Carr’s backup should absolutely include McGloin though, since Ponder should not be guaranteed anything beyond a roster spot. But it looks more likely that McGloin sticks as Oakland’s No. 3 quarterback, with undrafted free agent Cody Fajardo as his only competition for that spot right now. For what it’s worth, Steve Corkran of RaiderBeat.com has written that it’s likely the Raiders will keep McGloin over Fajardo.

It will be interesting to see how the competition between Ponder and McGloin plays out, since the loser of the battle could easily find his NFL career on thin ice. It’s unclear if McGloin will get a legitimate chance to be Carr’s primary backup, but if he and Ponder enter training camp on equal ground nothing can be ruled out. I think the pressure is on Ponder to clearly win the backup job, and if he fails to do so on the practice field his prior knowledge of Musgrave’s offense will mean little.

McGloin can force a tough decision by performing solidly during training camp, and preseason games should give him ample opportunity to prove he deserves to be Oakland’s No. 2 quarterback. I can easily see the Raiders’ quarterback depth chart taking shape in a way that runs counter to what outside expectations are right now, with McGloin ahead of Ponder heading into Week 1.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.