Aidan O’Connell should be the Raiders’ starter, but the prospects at the QB position are worrying
LAS VEGAS – Aidan O’Connell should be the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, but it’s hard to be optimistic about what that means for the offense in 2024.
Coach Antonio Pierce said earlier this week that he would announce a starting quarterback after the Raiders’ second preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, and O’Connell played better than free agent Gardner Minshew in the Raiders’ 27-12 loss. The problem was that O’Connell didn’t Good; he just wasn’t as bad as Minshew.
O’Connell played four times against the Cowboys’ reserves, completing 14 of 20 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, but also threw an ugly pick six on his final attempt of the game.
“I just stared at it back and forth,” O’Connell said afterward. “(My performance) was inconsistent. … I missed some shots and made some misreads. And then of course the pick six kind of sticks in your mind.”
Lifted up and in the other direction for a @dallascowboys TD!
📺: #DALvsLV To @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/rXtTx3e2bP— NFL (@NFL) 18 August 2024
Minshew played five drives and completed just 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards. Pierce did not name a starter in his postgame press conference. He will consult with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and general manager Tom Telesco before making that decision.
“It’s going to be everything,” Pierce said Saturday when asked what factors will go into the decision. “Control of the offense, the operational part, efficiency. The turnovers are huge, right? Taking care of the football is going to be important for our team. And then I think it’s just a matter of sitting down with Telesco and Luke for a couple of days and really figuring out who’s going to get us off to a fast start and get us where we want to be in the first quarter of the season.”
Despite O’Connell’s rough ending, he was expected to get the nod. O’Connell started the final nine games last season, but the Raiders signed Minshew for two years and $25 million, with $15 million guaranteed in the offseason. More money didn’t guarantee Minshew would get the nod, but it was questionable how much the Raiders’ leadership believed in O’Connell, after all, he was below average at best in his 10 starts as a rookie.
To take the job from O’Connell, Minshew had to push him away. That hasn’t happened yet, and it’s hard to justify him pushing O’Connell out.
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Minshew is more mobile than O’Connell, has a significant experience advantage, and takes more risks when it comes to creating explosive plays, but he lost consistency as a Raider. At this point, there’s no reason to expect that to change.
“It was neck and neck the whole time,” Minshew said Saturday. “I missed some shots and misread the assessments. We shot ourselves in the foot all night.”
Minshew started against the Cowboys after O’Connell started against the Minnesota Vikings last week, but he was uninspiring. Far too many of his throws were either poorly timed or completely missed, causing the offense to miss several opportunities to extend drives or score points.
The Raiders were without receiver Davante Adams (unknown), tight end Brock Bowers (foot), left tackle Kolton Miller (shoulder) and left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (concussion), but that’s no excuse considering the Cowboys rested their starters. The Raiders had a clear talent advantage, and Minshew still delivered a mediocre performance.
On the offense’s first possession, receiver Jakobi Meyers had a clear path on a post route, but Minshew was late throwing, giving a Cowboys defender time to intercept the pass. On the next play, Minshew missed the completely free Meyers by a wide margin. Two plays later, on fourth and 3, he flagged a throw that was nearly intercepted for a pick six. The Dallas defender dropped the ball, but it was still a turnover on downs.
That set the tone for Minshew’s inconsistent performance. On the next drive, he recovered and found receiver Tre Tucker for a 48-yard gain, but three plays later he threw the ball well over the unmarked Meyers on third-and-9 and the Raiders had to settle for a field goal.
The sticks appear early 😤 #DALvsLV 📺 FOX5 pic.twitter.com/Xa7OEpKpjD
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) 18 August 2024
The Raiders’ next possession was thwarted by a holding penalty on receiver Kristian Wilkerson, keeping Minshew in the game early in the second quarter. Tucker got free again on a deep route, but Minshew missed him and the Raiders were forced to punt. The Raiders were immediately gifted excellent field position on the following play when the Cowboys fumbled the punt at their own 23-yard line.
But once again, Minshew couldn’t capitalize. The Raiders tried fourth and fifth and tight end Harrison Bryant got free, but Minshew missed him by a wide margin, causing another turnover. That would be his last snap of the game.
O’Connell looked a little better than Minshew despite the interception. Add in his clean game against the Vikings last week, and he’s put together a stronger two-game sample than Minshew.
Still, he doesn’t look like he’s improved much since his rookie season. He lacks the athletic traits to extend plays, commits too many throws, has average talent on his throwing arm, and his potential is questionable considering he turns 26 next month. But this is only his second year in the league, so there’s still room for improvement.
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Of course, O’Connell entering Week 1 as the starter doesn’t mean he’ll keep that role all season. Pierce has publicly insisted the Raiders will go with whoever they name as the starter, but they won’t hang on to a quarterback who’s struggling just because. It remains likely — if not probable — that Minshew will play at some point this season, even if O’Connell begins as the starter.
“Everyone wants to see a player just take it and say, ‘Hey, I’m your guy.’ Well, that’s obviously probably not the case,” Pierce said. “We have to make a decision and we’ll live with it and we’ll support the Raiders quarterback going forward, whoever that is.”
No matter who Pierce names, it’s unlikely the Raiders have a long-term solution for the quarterback position on the roster. At best, they’ll have a quarterback who can get them through the season – not one who can improve the offense. At worst, their quarterback play will hinder the offense and the results will be disappointing.
In all likelihood, the Raiders will be looking for a quarterback again next offseason. It’s a sobering conclusion, but it feels like reality for the Raiders.
(Photo: Chris Unger / Getty Images)
