Raiders coach Antonio Pierce hopes to make significant progress in choosing the starting quarterback when Las Vegas begins its preseason at Minnesota on Saturday.
Pierce said that by the end of the week, they will decide whether Aidan O’Connell, the current starter, or Gardner Minshew, a new free agent, will get the start. Both quarterbacks will play for a quarter each in the game.
“Who plays first and who plays second doesn’t really matter,” Pierce said.
In training camp, the Raiders have been splitting reps between both quarterbacks, giving each a similar number of snaps with the first-team offense.
Pierce has mentioned that the starters will play in the preseason games to help assess the quarterbacks. However, three potential first-team offensive players might not play against the Vikings.
Left tackle Kolton Miller and left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson are on the physically unable to perform list but are expected to return before the season starts. Andrus Peat and Cody Whitehair have been filling in at those positions, with Whitehead listed ahead of Powers-Johnson on the initial depth chart.
Wide receiver Davante Adams also left training camp last week to return to Las Vegas for the birth of his third child.
Pierce initially gave O’Connell the first snaps during the offseason training program due to his performance last season.
O’Connell, who became the starter midseason, finished with a 5-4 record, winning three of his last four games, throwing eight touchdown passes without any interceptions.
Despite working with new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and facing what might be a top-10 defense in practice, O’Connell hasn’t been able to clearly stand out in the quarterback battle.
“I think being more consistent for myself,” O’Connell said about his focus going forward. “I’m just trying to execute the best I can every time with every play. There are many factors out there — who you’re playing with, what the call is, the coverage, and so on. You need to consider them but also tune them out and execute the best play possible.”
