The battle for the Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback position has been going on throughout training camp and head coach Antonio Pierce has been tight-lipped about whether Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew has outshone the other.
But with the Raiders’ preseason opener coming up on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings, it will be an opportunity for everyone to see where they stand. And they will both have an equal opportunity to showcase.
Pierce revealed that both Minshew and O’Connell will play for one quarter in the team’s preseason opener via Raiders Newswire’s own Ryan Ward:
Antonio Pierce on playing time for #Raiders QBs Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell in the first preseason game: “They’ll both play a quarter. First quarter and second quarter.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardNFL) August 7, 2024
It is unclear who among the rest of the skill players will be taking the field and for how long and that is a factor in this game as well. Whoever starts the game could get more reps with the first team which conceivably could be an advantage, but Pierce and the Raiders staff will surely account for that as well.
Nonetheless, Pierce knows exactly what he is looking to see out of his two signal callers and opened up on that as well via Ward:
Antonio Pierce on QB battle: “This preseason game will be very telling. I want to see these guys take care of the ball, manage the team and take care of situational football.” #Raiders
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardNFL) August 7, 2024
Minshew and O’Connell will surely go back and forth throughout the remainder of camp and preseason, but one thing that is for sure is that when Pierce makes his quarterback decision, that is who this team will go with, via Ward:
Antonio Pierce on if there will be a definitive winner of the QB battle between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell: “When we make a decision, that’s going to be our quarterback.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardNFL) August 7, 2024
Getting this decision right is of the utmost importance for Pierce and the Raiders. Whether O’Connell or Minshew ultimately wins the job, they will be tasked with leading this team back into the postseason.
Raiders release first unofficial depth chart
The Raiders recently released the first unofficial depth chart of this season, with Pierce listing both Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew as the first-team quarterbacks. The battle is still ongoing.
The depth chart also listed Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers as starters at tight end, meaning the Raiders could be using two tight end sets as their base. Defensively, things are basically exactly as they were last year, with top free agent signing Christian Wilkins being the only new face amongst the first-team defense.
