Happy July, everyone. We are officially just three weeks away from the start of Raiders training camp. Among the first to report will be the quarterback who will arrive in Costa Mesa along with rookies on July 21 for the three-day pre-camp warmup.
The purpose of the early arrival for the quarterbacks is to try and shake the rust off before they are joined by their teammates. But will that be enough?
Based on what I saw the last time this group took the field, there is a lot more than rust to shake off. Namely with regard to the two who are currently competing for the starting job.
Aidan O’Connell vs Gardner Minshew
O’Connell got the nod for ten games last season as a rookie. He was not terrible, albeit notably stiff and immobile with little ability to create plays on his own. But he showed he does have a good arm.
Minshew is not known for his arm. He doesn’t throw a gorgeous ball. He just hangs around and manages to get the most out of his talents.
What everyone saw in the offseason practices were two quarterbacks struggling to find a groove. O’Connell was throwing wild, off target passes. While Minshew’s throws seemed to flail and wobble with no zip on them. It wasn’t a display that would yield a great deal of confidence in either player.
Regardless, this is what the Raiders have to work with and barring any further additions to the room, these two figure to duke it out for the job.
It will be the gritty journeyman backup versus the young buck with his third offensive coordinator still trying to find his rhythm.
My take:
This isn’t an ideal scenario to say the least. O’Connell has not shown he can be the guy and Minshew is considered a high-level backup on most teams. It feels like the Raiders will be faced with the lesser of the evils.
In the end, if these two are who they are choosing between, I’m going with Minshew. The Raiders are hoping their defense can lead the way, and the offense can just not lose games for them. Minshew is coming off a situation just like that last year in Indianpolis.