How Raiders Can Go About QB in Preseason After Decision

The Las Vegas Raiders have one more preseason game, and after naming Gardner Minshew II the starting quarterback for the regular season, could change how they play their quarterbacks in that game.

Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback Gardner Minshew / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

The Las Vegas Raiders are moving forward with Gardner Minshew II at quarterback after a lengthy battle between him and Aidan O’Connell. 

O’Connell held the starting job during the 2023 season, but Coach Antonio Pierce believes Minshew gives them the best chance to win football games right now. 

Now that the decision has been made to move forward with Minshew, the Raiders could change their quarterback rotations in their final preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Previously, the Raiders played O’Connell and Minshew for one quarter each (Pierce broke that trend slightly in the last game against the Dallas Cowboys, playing them each for nearly a half). 

Could that look different against the 49ers now that Minshew is the starter? 

The Raiders could consider evaluating some of their younger quarterback options, including rookie Carter Bradley, who appeared in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys game. Bradley is the son of former Raiders’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. 

The Raiders could still play Minshew during the preseason, as he did not win the competition by a significant margin. However, there are still elements of his game that need work before he takes over the full-time job. 

Minshew still puts the ball in harm’s way too often, and there were several moments in last week’s game where he and his receiver were not on the same page. Minshew could play a series or two against the 49ers and work through those issues. 

O’Connell mostly took care of the football last season and throughout this preseason, but as Pierce was coming close to a decision, O’Connell threw a pick-six. 

O’Connell must have a short memory the next time he is on the field and better protect the football. He is already good at that, so he needs to keep it up and not let past mistakes affect his future play. He could also play a couple of series. 

The Raiders signed Nathan Peterman last week, so he could take much of the action in the last game to keep Minshew and O’Connell healthy. 

Las Vegas has one preseason tune-up before the regular season begins. Now that Minshew has been named the starter, they can use this game to evaluate some of their other quarterbacks.

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