Raiders Announce Connor Cook Will Start VS Texans

The Oakland Raiders announced Wednesday that rookie quarterback Connor Cook will start under center this Saturday afternoon against the Houston Texans.

Raiders Injured Quarterbacks

Cook saw 30 snaps in relief of Matt McGloin in Oakland’s Week 17 loss to the Denver Broncos. McGloin left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and will not be ready to play by Saturday.

McGloin made the start in place of Derek Carr, who suffered a broken leg the week prior in a Raiders win over the Indianapolis Colts. Carr was forced to undergo surgery on the left leg which is expected to keep him out for several weeks.

Who is Connor Cook?

Cook looked decent in his time on the field against the Broncos. He completed 14 of his 21 throws for 150 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Raiders claim to be confidence in him and liked the “swagger” he showed out there.

The Raiders drafted Cook with a fourth round pick out of Michigan State in April. He enjoyed a great run as the Spartans’ No. 1 signal caller for his sophomore through senior campaigns. In 13 games as a senior, Cook completed about 56 percent of his passes for 3,131 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Earlier this week, the Raiders signed former SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert to the practice squad. Gilbert had been drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 draft by the then-St. Louis Rams. He spent time with the Rams’ practice squad as well as with the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions before the Raiders signed him to a future/reserve deal last January.

He was later waived in May.

Texans QB Problems

The Raiders will be going up against a Texans team with quarterback problems of their own.

Houston will start Brock Osweiler at quarterback on Saturday with Tom Savage out thanks to a concussion. Osweiler began the season as the Texans’ starter after the team spent more than $70 million to bring him in as a free agent from Denver.

Osweiler struggled all season long for the Texans, though. In his first season as a full-time NFL starter, he completed 59 percent of his passes for 2,957 yards with 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He was benched midway through Houston’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15 after throwing a pair of early interceptions.

Savage was inserted into the game in his place, and rallied Houston to a victory. He then won the next week against the Cincinnati Bengals before being injured last Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Osweiler came into the game and went 17-24 for 254 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Kickoff from NRG Stadium in Houston is set for 3:30pm Eastern time.