Competition for Raiders’ backup QB job favors Manuel, not Cook

NAPA, Calif. — That was it: The final period of Friday’s practice.

First, Derek Carr led the starters onto the field. The defense continued its strong day, rookie tackle Eddie Vanderdoes made a sack on the opening 11-on-11 snap. Several plays later, the starters retired to the sideline. Their practice was done.

Next, it was EJ Manuel.

He and the second-team offense tried their luck while Connor Cook watched. Manuel and Cook began training camp engaged in what was advertised to be one of the roster’s more intriguing position battles. Cook waited his turn to be rotated in, either with the third or second team, when the whistle blew.

No final snaps for Cook.

Practice was over.

Cook stepped onto the field Friday with a good sense of where the No. 2 quarterback competition stood. He likely walked off it with an even clearer one. The Raiders do not open their four-game exhibition slate until Aug. 12 in Arizona, but the Manuel-Cook depth-chart battle appears all but decided one week into camp.

The number of second-team reps has tilted far more favorably in Manuel’s direction. And while not perfect, Manuel has been full of flashes, completing deep and comeback routes to wide receiver Johnny Holton here and regularly finding wide receiver and training-camp hotel roommate Cordarrelle Patterson there.

Cook declined a Friday request for an interview.

And really, there wasn’t much for him to say. The state of the situation Friday seemed apparent.

Now, it should be acknowledged that the Raiders haven’t announced a final verdict regarding Carr’s primary backup. Cook, it is known, believes the writing is on the wall based on how camp has developed so far. But until the team announces otherwise, it’s possible that every casual and career spectator in Napa will be proven wrong.

The team’s official position is that Manuel and Cook will continue competing.

“I think both guys are developing,” coach Jack Del Rio said Thursday. “It’s a really good competition. I think our offensive staff has done a real good job of managing that whole process. There’s really nothing to report on right now. They’re both getting a lot of reps and alternating who is with the twos and who is with the threes.

“Obviously, at some point we’ll need to settle on that, but right now, we are just sharing the work, and they’re both doing well. They’re both showing signs of doing the things that we need them to do.”

Manuel, 27, is the more experienced of the two.

The Bills drafted him in the 2013 first round as the No. 16 overall pick. He won six of 17 starts. Today, the 27-year-old owns a 77.5 career quarterback rating, having completed 58.3 percent of his 547 passes for 3,502 yards, 19 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

Cook, 24, was a 2016 fourth-round pick. He became in January the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to make his first career start in a playoff game. He completed 18 of 45 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions against a stingy Texans defense in a 27-14 loss.

Officially, the competition between them continues.

But if Cook wins the backup job over Manuel, it will be the upset of the Raiders’ summer.

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.