Late in the fourth quarter of the Raiders week 12 game against the Broncos, Gardner Minshew ran out right and was tackled hard. He was slow to get up and when he did was holding his left arm and taken straight to the locker room.
QB Gardner Minshew injury update
Following the game, head coach Antonio Pierce said Minshew had a left shoulder injury and that “It doesn’t look good.”
How long will Gardner Minshew be out?
According to multiple reports, X-rays reveal a broken collarbone which means Minshew is out for the rest of the season.
Raiders QB depth chart
Desmond Ridder came in for Minshew in the fourth quarter, playing the remainder of the game.
Ridder has been with the team for about a month. I asked Antonio Pierce if he’d seen enough from Ridder to have him in the mix, and he said quickly no. Adding that Ridder hasn’t had nearly enough reps either in practice or in games to be handed the job on a short week.
“It’s not enough reps,” Pierce said. “When Gardner was in there we gave him all the reps. He did some stuff in seven-on-sevens, but to sit there and say we’ve seen enough? No. We’ve seen film, he’s played in this league and obviously today was tough. Sitting on the bench the last 55 minutes and now you’re throwing him in the ball game, but he did the best he could.”
Aidan O’Connell is eligible to return from partial season injured reserve this week and, if he’s indeed ready to return, he is expected to step back into the starting job. It would certainly be good timing for his return. Ridder would back him up.