Silver Minings: Former teammate says Marcus Mariota was great in practice after being benched

Former Tennessee Titans’ cornerback Logan Ryan was on the Double Coverage podcast with NFL players Jason and Devin McCourty, via Sports Illustrated, and he praised quarterback Marcus Mariota for his practice play after being benched last season in favor of Ryan Tannehill.

“He started killing us every single week,” Ryan said on the podcast. “Like, he started ripping us in practice. Marcus Mariota was the practice quarterback and he was destroying us. And it made us better.”

Surely, Raiders coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock will like to hear that. They brought Mariota to Las Vegas as Derek Carr’s backup this offseason.

Mariota is being paid well and he will likely get a chance to overtake Carr if stumbles.

Mariota struggled when playing last season. The Titans made an unlikely run to the AFC championship game with Tannehill as the starter.

But it is a good sign that Mariota practiced well after being benched. It’s a testament to his character.

No matter what happens in the future, it’s clear the Raiders will be getting a player who will practice well. That’s a good thing for everyone involved.

In other Raiders’ links:

• High expectations for Renfrow: Bleacher Report thinks second-year receiver Hunter Renfrow will be the Raiders’ breakout player in 2020. I totally buy that.
• Reality of the coronavirus pandemic for NFL owners: Raiders’ owner Mark Davis could make a lot less money in his first year in Las Vegas than he thought.
• More Raiders’ ticket talk: The interest in Raiders’ home games in Vegas is sky high. Now, all that has to happen is that fans are allowed into Allegiant Stadium this season.
• Devontae Booker profile: The Raiders’ website looks at Booker’s role as a backup running back.
• Favorable schedule: HeadCoachRankings.com looks why the way the Raiders’ schedule plays out may help them.