The Raiders’ search for a starting quarterback remains unclear after Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew were outperformed by Trey Lance, a third-string quarterback, in a 27-12 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.
Lance, who was the No. 3 pick in the draft and is fighting to stay on the Cowboys’ roster, threw for 151 yards, completing 15 of 23 passes. He played the last three quarters while Dak Prescott was sidelined and Cooper Rush played the first quarter, making 1 of 3 passes for 6 yards.
“Today’s improvement started with Trey,” said Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. “He just needs more game experience, especially with drop-back plays. He’s handled everything else well, and he clearly took a step forward.”
Dallas kicker Brandon Aubrey made a 66-yard field goal just before halftime, putting the Cowboys ahead 13-6. This kick would have tied the NFL record if it had been a regular season game.
O’Connell had a chance to show he could be the Raiders’ starter but struggled after a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Kemon Hall on the first play of the fourth quarter. O’Connell ended up with 96 yards on 14 of 20 passing, including the interception.
“I did some good things, like converting a fourth down and a few third downs, but also missed some throws and reads,” O’Connell said. “The pick-six definitely weighs on my mind.”
Minshew, who is competing with O’Connell for the starting job, began the game for the Raiders with most of the team’s offensive players, though wide receiver Davante Adams and tight end Brock Bowers (foot) were missing.
Minshew played into the second quarter, missing several open targets and completing 10 of 21 passes for 95 yards. The Raiders managed only a field goal during his time on the field.
Minshew commented that his performance was “not good enough. I had some misthrows, a misread. I have stuff to grow and improve on. I think we shot ourselves in the foot a lot tonight.
Any time you do that, you’re going to have a hard time, so there’s plenty of stuff on tape to get back and work on and get right. There’s a lot of good on there, too, to build on and have a lot of confidence in.”
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce had hoped to name a starter after the game against the Cowboys, but neither O’Connell nor Minshew has clearly stood out this offseason.
“I think everybody wants to see a player just take it and say, ‘I’m the guy,’ like I’ve been saying from Day One,” Pierce said. “That’s probably not the case, so we’re going to have to make a decision. We’re going to live with it and we’re going to support whoever that quarterback is for the Raiders going forward.”
Pierce has stated that no single practice, scrimmage, or preseason game will determine the choice, and the decision will be based on a broader perspective.
“You’ve got to focus on the task at hand,” O’Connell said. “I try to do that every day.” Both quarterbacks will likely soon learn who will start as the season approaches.
