An ESPN analyst reveals who has the edge in the Raiders quarterback battle ahead of training camp
One of the biggest battles in NFL training camps this Summer will be with the Las Vegas Raiders and the starting quarterback job.
After Aidan O’Connell’s solid rookie season in 2023, the Raiders brought in veteran Gardner Minshew on a free-agent deal. Now the two are competing for the starting job and the right to lead the Raiders offense for the 2024 season. As we get set for training camp in a month, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler revealed who he believes has the slight edge going into the critical Summer practices and apparently, the Raiders are leaning O’Connell at this moment:
“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 2, being more vocal. I’m told he’s acting like a starting quarterback and Davante Adams loves him, which always helps certainly with the brownie points.”
“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 said. “He’s been good at the off-script stuff.”
Nothing is set in stone, obviously, but the note about Davante Adams is very important. Having an All-Pro wide receiver like Adams backing you like this is a good thing. O’Connell and Adams have worked together this past offseason and are familiar with one another. So if he’s comfortable with O’Connell, it makes sense for Fowler to say that he has the upper hand early on.
O’Connell also drew praise from new head coach Antonio Pierce who was under the interim tag to end the 2023 season but got to see the quarterback in action:
“He did a hell of a job for us,” said Pierce, who initially took over as interim coach last season. “You’re talking about a kid that has the mental toughness to play in the National Football League. Whatever happens and whatever we do, it has to go through Aidan O’Connell. (I’m) being honest with you, because he’s earned that right.”
But don’t count Minshew out just yet. The veteran does have experience in this league and could win the starting job with a good camp for the Raiders. Him building that chemistry with the players on offense will go a long way and don’t be surprised if he comes into training camp and puts together good practices.
Quarterbacks will be the biggest key to success for the Raiders
Well, duh. That’s the case with any team in the NFL in this era. For the Raiders, this is a very important first year under Pierce and by not addressing the quarterback position by moving up to take a top prospect or even trading for a veteran, they are relying on both O’Connell and Minshew to show something.
A slow start this season for Las Vegas could put the pressure on ownership and the front office to re-evaluate things and look at the roster as a whole. There’s potentially a situation they could look to acquire draft assets by moving some top players.
Names like Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby have been floated out there this offseason already. While that’s unlikely at this point, especially on the Crosby side, there has been some chatter of that.
Let’s hope for the Raiders sake that they don’t get off to a slow start and instead are taking the first steps in building something special under Pierce.
