One of the main themes of the 2024 offseason for the Las Vegas Raiders was the struggles of their quarterbacks, so reading a negative review about Geno Smith’s performance at OTAs on Wednesday is like déjà vu.
According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, Smith’s showing was “bumpy” and saw him throw multiple interceptions, including two against the second-team defense.
Against the first-team defense, Smith saw his very first pass intercepted by new safety Jeremy Chinn, although Smith was able to exact some revenge with a nice ball to rookie wideout Dont’e Thornton, who beat Chinn on the play.
Geno Smith struggles at OTAs
“On the first play of 11-on-11 team drills, safety Jeremy Chinn jumped a route over the middle and picked off quarterback Geno Smith,” Reed explained. “A few plays later, receiver Dont’e Thornton beat Chinn on a corner route, and Smith found him in the end zone for a touchdown.
“While Smith got some payback early on, it ended up being a bumpy practice for the starting quarterback.”
Smith was picked off twice by the second-team defense, with linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and veteran defensive back Chris Smith II making the plays. Eichenberg’s likely would’ve been a pick-six, Reed notes.
“In a period where the first-team offense faced off against the second-team defense, the backup defenders managed to hold their own. Smith tried to hit tight end Brock Bowers on a route into the flat, but linebacker Tommy Eichenberg stepped in front and intercepted the pass for what likely would’ve been a pick six,” Reed wrote.
“On another play against the second-team defense, Smith overthrew his target and was picked off in the back of the end zone by safety Chris Smith II,” Reed added.
On the bright side, it’s good to see the new-look secondary making some plays, and it hasn’t been all bad for Smith at OTAs, either.
Head coach Pete Carroll said the offense got the better of the defense on Monday, so the latter unit was due to get even.
It’s really not all that surprising to see Smith having some struggles. He’s in a new offense and is still getting acclimated with his new targets. If these issues persist into training camp, then we’ll be worried.
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