Silver Minings: Geno Smith ranked as Top 10 quarterback

Pro Football Focus has the Raiders’ new starting quarterback in its third tier of QBs

New Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback Geno Smith is a bit of a controversial player. Some will point to his failures as the New York Jets starter and dip in production with the Seattle Seahawks last season to argue he’s a below-average quarterback. Meanwhile, others will point to Smith’s two Pro Bowl appearances in Seattle and the Seahawks’ struggling offensive line a year ago to say he’s one of the better starters in the league.

Pro Football Focus is in the latter category. They listed Smith as the 10th-best quarterback in the NFL, ranking second in the “Tier 3a: Solid starters who have flashed high-end play” category between Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy.

“Few would have pegged Smith to grade as the sixth-best passer in the NFL over the past two seasons, but here we are,” PFF’s John Kosko wrote. “In fact, his 85.8 passing grade in that span is just 0.2 points shy of Patrick Mahomes. After being traded for a third-round pick this offseason, Smith should enjoy an improved offensive line but a downgrade in receiving weapons. He protects the football and has a knack for generating big-time throws.”

Within the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes was ranked first overall, the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert was third and the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix was 19th. So, according to PFF, the Raiders have the third-best quarterback in the division heading into the 2025 season.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• AJ Cole gets contract extension: the three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro becomes the NFL’s highest-paid punter with a four-year, $15 million contract.
• Dont’e Thornton Jr., a prototypical throwback: “While Thornton is viewed as single-skilled specialist coming out of Tennessee, that singular trick is one hell of a bang,” Silver and Black Pride’s Ray Aspuria wrote. “He averaged a nation-leading 25.4 yards per catch in his final season for the Volunteers hauling in 26 passes for 661 yards and six touchdowns. It was a low-volume but electrifying senior season at Tennessee.”
• Alex Cappa expected to start: “There’s an ongoing competition at left guard,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed wrote. “Left tackle Kolton Miller, center Jackson Powers-Johnson, right guard Alex Cappa and right tackle DJ Glaze seem to be locked into starting spots, but Dylan Parham and Jordan Meredith rotated at left guard throughout practice.”
• Potential Christian Wilkins replacements: “Joseph-Day has six years of NFL experience under his belt, and he was a Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season,” Athlon Sports’ Levi Dombro wrote. “Last year for the Tennessee Titans, he recorded 2.5 sacks and 44 tackles.”