During a Sunday appearance on “SportsCenter,” ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that 2023 fourth-round draft pick Aidan O’Connell “probably has the slight edge” over journeyman Gardner Minshew regarding the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback competition that’s expected to resume during training camp next month.
“O’Connell and Minshew in the spring went tit for tat; went after it. O’Connell probably has the slight edge right now based on coming into year two, being more vocal,” Fowler explained, according to Mike Moraitis of Sporting News. “I’m told he’s acting like a starting quarterback and (All-Pro wide receiver) Davante Adams loves him, which always helps certainly with the brownie points.”
Fowler’s update isn’t all that surprising, as Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said last month that O’Connell had “earned the right to go out there and earn the first snap” for organized team activities. While O’Connell seemingly did nothing through mandatory minicamp to lose his spot atop the depth chart, it shouldn’t be forgotten that the Raiders reportedly explored moving up in the draft order with LSU Tigers signal-caller Jayden Daniels in mind.
The Washington Commanders stayed at choice No. 2 to take Daniels.
“But Minshew has come in, shown some moxie. He’s already got the offense, he’s changing plays at the line of scrimmage, I’m told,” Fowler continued during his comments. “He’s been good at the off-script stuff.”
Across 10 starts (11 appearances) with the Raiders last season, O’Connell notched a 5-5 record. In total, he completed 62.1% of 343 pass attempts for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
To compare, Minshew went 7-6 with the Indianapolis Colts this past campaign. In 17 total appearances, the 28-year-old connected on 62.2% of 490 passes for 3,305 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine picks.
“It would be not surprising at all if both quarterbacks got a start in a preseason game,” Fowler added, according to Doric Sam of Bleacher Report. “Maybe they go O’Connell first game, Minshew the second game, depending on how the first couple weeks of camp go. And they’ll get a legitimate chance, but we have ourselves a real battle in Las Vegas.”
The Raiders open the preseason at the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 10, and Las Vegas then hosts the Dallas Cowboys for an exhibition contest on Aug. 17. It sounds like Pierce and company won’t make any final decision about the Raiders’ quarterback situation before the Cowboys game concludes.
