The Las Vegas Raiders are beginning their training camp, which will see a competition between second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell and veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II.
General Manager Tom Telesco signed the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback to push O’Connell for the starting position. O’Connell finished 5-4 over the second half of last season after being named the team’s starting quarterback.
O’Connell had his ups and downs last season. He finished the Raiders’ week 12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with the highest quarterback rating of any quarterback in the league. The Raiders beat the Chiefs on the road on Christmas Day, with O’Connell not completing a pass after the first quarter. Both games perfectly summed up the inconsistencies of a rookie quarterback who had unexpectedly named the starter a few weeks earlier.
However, both games also summed up how flawed the Raiders’ roster was, especially on offense. O’Connell’s inconsistency was a microcosm of the Raiders as a whole. As the Raiders enter a new season, with many new pieces around O’Connell, he can put together an entire offseason as the team’s starter. This gives O’Connell the chance to prepare much more thoroughly than he was able to last offseason.
Telesco has supplied O’Connell and the Raiders with a revamped offensive line, which arguably has more depth than it did last season. The Raiders also have a new offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, who will help with one of their most significant issues last season: playcalling. The improved offensive line and playcalling should help O’Connell more than anyone else on the offense, as the Raiders will be less predictable and more explosive this upcoming season.
As training camp begins, O’Connell aims to take advantage of an opportunity he earned with his serviceable play during the final half of last season. Few quarterbacks drafted in the fourth round get the chance to prove themselves as capable starters in the National Football League. Even fewer fourth-round quarterbacks have had the opportunity to do so for one of the most storied franchises in NFL history.
While he undoubtedly earned the opportunity, it is an opportunity that is rare for most quarterbacks in his position, and it is an opportunity he must take full advantage of.
