The Las Vegas Raiders have one quarterback emerging as the clear favorite to win the QB1 job at the start of the season. The Raiders are set to have a quarterback battle in training camp between second-year signal caller Aidan O’Connell and their veteran option Gardner Minshew.
The offense needs one of their quarterbacks to step and play better than the Raiders saw last season. With the backfield expected to backslide without Josh Jacobs, the offense needs its passing game to make the most out of having star wide receiver Davante Adams and first-round pick Brock Bowers.
Both QBs struggled at the Las Vegas Raiders OTAs
O’Connell and Minshew didn’t have the best spring as they implemented new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy ‘s scheme. According to Tashan Reed with The Athletic, the quarterback play during OTAs left much to be desired:
Both Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew struggled during OTAs. They split snaps with the first string fairly evenly, but neither found much success during the practices that were open to reporters. The quarterbacks (and the rest of the offense) are still in the early stages of getting comfortable in coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense. Understandably, there have been some growing pains, but it’s still troubling that neither O’Connell nor Minshew displayed much progress results-wise by the end of OTAs.
Both quarterbacks struggled to push the ball downfield, had too many off-target throws and frequently put the ball in harm’s way. The Raiders will need better than that to avoid the offense being a liability yet again. The good news is there’s still plenty of time for O’Connell and Minshew to get better in training camp before the season arrives.
Reed thinks the Raiders will give O’Connell the starting job in Week 1 if Minshew doesn’t blow away O’Connell in training camp. O’Connell has more upside as a 25-year-old quarterback.
However, bettors disagree.
Gardner Minshew is the betting favorite
Per Michael David Smith of NBC Sports, the 2023 NFC Pro Bowl quarterback nominee is favored by sports bettors to win the job:
Minshew is a -200 favorite to take the Raiders’ first snap in Week One, whild O’Connell is a +150 underdog at DraftKings.com.
Minshew probably gives the Raiders their best chance to win in Week 1. But O’Connell could be the team’s best option for the long term. That problem could provide head coach Antonio Pierce’s staff a headache at the end of the preseason.
Related: Raiders RB ranked 31st in the league by PFF
The Raiders lost Josh Jacobs to the Green Bay Packers in free agency. Pro Football Focus doesn’t like the Raiders’ backfield options in 2024.
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