Gardner Minshew Was Best Choice In Raiders’ QB Battle

The

Las Vegas Raiders

are undergoing an identity shift this offseason.

After more than two decades of defensive futility, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and head coach Antonio Pierce are turning the Raiders into a defense-first squad. With Christian Wilkins aboard, forming perhaps the best defensive line in the league, the Raiders should have no problem getting after opposing quarterbacks.

With the moves they made during free agency, the Raiders will be able to keep opponents off the scoreboard with ease next season. The problem, of course, is that they won’t be scoring many points of their own.

Star running back Josh Jacobs departed for the

Green Bay Packers

, and the team’s quarterback depth chart is topped by

Aidan O’Connell

and

Gardner Minshew II

.

After a few games of preseason action, Pierce has made his call: Minshew will be the team’s starting quarterback at the start of the 2024 season. Though he’s not the franchise quarterback Pierce claimed he wanted at the onset of the offseason, he was the best option on the roster as is currently constructed. Though they likely won’t be competing for the Lombardi Trophy this season, Minshew should at least give Las Vegas a fighting chance in most weeks.

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Minshew Can Keep The Peace As Stopgag QB

The former Colts’ QB produced a 7-6 record last season compared to O’Connell’s 5-5 performance

Gardner Minshew burst onto the scene as a sixth-round, mustachioed rookie for the

Jacksonville Jaguars

in 2019, throwing for 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in just 12 starts.

Since then, he spent time as the

Philadelphia Eagles

‘ backup quarterback before arriving on the scene in Indianapolis last year. After electric rookie

Anthony Richardson

went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 4, Minshew stepped in as the starter and authored another fine season.

He was ultimately elected as a Pro Bowl alternate for his play in 2023, which was his first year with a winning record as a starting quarterback (7-6).

Minshew isn’t going to propel the Raiders to “instant contender” status, but he is a steady option who has experience in a variety of schemes and systems.

Minshew has grown a lot from the one-read passer he was during his breakout season at Washington State. He’s still incredibly tough and leads by example, and his willingness to use the whole field has turned him into an average quarterback at worst.

He does have a tendency to try and play hero sometimes, making mistakes that can halt an offense’s momentum. That being said, he’s far more mobile than O’Connell, and even though they have comparable arm strength, Minshew is the one with the confidence to actually make throws in tight windows.

Perhaps most importantly, Minshew should keep star receiver

Davante Adams

happy after he fed

Michael Pittman Jr.

117 targets in 12 games last year. Minshew’s two-year, $25 million contract also points to the fact that the Las Vegas front office thinks he should be the guy, as his $12.5 AAV would make him the highest-paid backup in football by a wide margin.

Now, all of this isn’t to say Minshew’s job is entirely safe. O’Connell showed some impressive growth as the year wore on last season, throwing for eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in the team’s final four games. The Raiders won three of those contests, and the young quarterback notably posted his two best performances of the season (according to passer rating) in Week 15 (120.8) and Week 18 (110.1).

Like in his time at Purdue, O’Connell showed great feel for intermediate timing routes, and he showed more of a willingness to use the middle of the field than in his time in college. His greatest strength remains his willingness to stand tall in the pocket, and he’ll always take an available check down to keep an offense on schedule.

However, O’Connell has limited arm strength and struggles greatly with getting the ball down the field, especially outside the hashes. He won’t produce a ton of explosive plays, and his complete lack of mobility limits whatever creativity and ability to play outside of structure he has. He won’t make a back-breaking mistake often, but he also won’t be able to compete in the high-scoring track meets teams tend to find themselves playing nowadays.

In essence, O’Connell is a game manager. It speaks to his low-ceiling, high-floor profile that he’s the safer option over a five-year NFL veteran.

Given that he was the incumbent starter under Pierce, O’Connell’s presence should light a fire under Minshew early in the season. As long as the Raiders hope to win, he’s the right guy for the task, but O’Connell’s development will take priority should they fall out of postseason contention as expected.

Pierce is navigating a complicated rebuilding period for Las Vegas, but he’s passed the QB competition test with flying colors by letting Minshew actually earn the gig. Now, he’ll need to prove his confidence in himself and the team by either riding it out with his first choice, or flipping to O’Connell quickly.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated.

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