Minshew or O'Connell? Raiders still undecided at QB1

COSTA MESA, Calif. -- After the entirety of OTAs, mandatory minicamp, 11 training camp practices and a fully padded intrasquad scrimmage, the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback battle between second-year man Aidan O'Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew remains at an impasse.

In fact, both players were listed on the team's first unofficial depth chart of the season as QB1.

"Let's be honest," first-year head coach Antonio Pierce said. "Aidan is your classic quarterback, drop-back quarterback, right? Put that back foot back, let it hit [the ground] and then let that ball release. Highly accurate. Could throw the ball outside the numbers.

"Gardner's really savvy, does a good job of controlling [tempo], poise, feels things around him, good feeling in the pocket. Obviously, when the play breaks down, he's really good at [extending the play]."

Yet given the duo's up-and-down play throughout training camp, longtime observers might harken back to the specters of the big-armed but relatively immobile Andrew Walter and the scrambling-but-scattershot Marques Tuiasosopo.

And that's not necessarily a good thing. After all, when Walter and Tuiasosopo shared practice reps with Aaron Brooks in 2006, the end result was a 2-14 record that culminated in the Raiders drafting JaMarcus Russell.

While O'Connell and Minshew essentially split first-team reps throughout camp and alternated on a day-to-day basis who took the first snap, a case could be made that O'Connell entered camp with a slight edge, but it was Minshew who had a smidge better camp.

And yet, Pierce was not ready to say who would start the Raiders' exhibition opener at the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, saying only that both players would play a quarter each.

Asked if it mattered who got the first start, Pierce said not really, because the other guy would get the start the next week at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

Plus, as Pierce and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello emphasized, the final decision on QB1 will be made based on the "total product of work" turned in by O'Connell and Minshew, and not just what happened on the practice field or in preseason games.

"You don't want to get swayed because you make the right playcall on the right play and a guy hits a big play," Scangarello said. "I think you have to look at it all, but how they function when they're on their own in those situations, yeah, it makes a difference."

Both QBs were harassed in camp equally by Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby -- he hit Minshew shockingly hard and tossed him to the ground during the scrimmage. He also tweaked O'Connell enough that the normally staid O'Connell pushed Crosby back at one point a few days later. Both QBs were often stymied by a defense that has designs on being a top 10 unit.

"He is always trying to touch you," Minshew said of Crosby with a shrug. "It's kind of his thing."

Interceptions came in bunches for both in camp. But in the tackling-to-the-ground scrimmage, O'Connell was picked off twice while Minshew threw a pair of touchdown passes and broke off a 20-plus yard run, He, too, was intercepted, on a high ball that went through receiver Tre Tucker's hands.

Complicating matters in the QB race, what with the Raiders still installing a new offense under new coordinator Luke Getsy, was the absence of All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, who returned to Las Vegas for the birth of his son and missed the Raiders' last five camp practices.

"We definitely miss Tae," O'Connell said. "He's not just a great player but a leader for us. Wish he was out here but, obviously, he's having a baby, so not mad at him at all and hoping for a smooth delivery and everything.

"But yeah, we want as many reps as possible. He's a guy that sees the game in a very unique way. ... We miss him a lot on the field, but especially in the film room, to hear what he's saying for each route, each concept, obviously [with him] playing in this offense before."

O'Connell, drafted by the Raiders' previous regime of general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels last year with the 135th overall pick, the final selection of the fourth round, was the eighth quarterback taken. He was expected to be the Raiders' third QB, behind starter Jimmy Garoppolo and backup Brian Hoyer.

But after injuries and ineffectiveness sidelined Garoppolo, and McDaniels and Ziegler were fired Halloween night, Pierce was promoted to interim coach. Pierce then went all in with O'Connell.

O'Connell went 5-5 as a rookie starter and passed for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while completing 62.1% of his passes in 11 appearances. He finished with a flourish, throwing 8 TD passes without a pick in the Raiders' final four games, the lone loss in that stretch to Minshew and the Indianapolis Colts on New Year's Eve.

The Raiders officially released Garoppolo on March 13 and, a day later, signed Minshew to a two-year, $25 million free agent contract, with $15 million guaranteed. Minshew, who is 15-22 as a starter, has completed 62.6% of his career pass attempts and in seasons in which he has started at least eight games, he's averaged 2,945 yards passing with 17 TDs and seven interceptions.

And while the Raiders were linked to the likes of LSU's Jayden Daniels and Washington's Michael Penix Jr. in the draft, they were among the six QBs already gone by the time Las Vegas' turn came at No. 13.

As such, the O'Connell-Minshew battle has been more mutual admiration society than cutthroat competition.

Perhaps the prettiest play O'Connell had in camp: a deep ball down the left sideline to the speedy Tucker for a TD.

Minshew? He rolled out to his right to extend a play, stepped up then back and up again to fire a strike to Brock Bowers, the rookie tight end taking the ball upfield for a big gain.

"We're starting to find out what our identity is as an offense, what different guys can do, how we can put them in positions to succeed, and that process has been a lot of fun," Minshew said.

"The big thing for whoever's out there [at quarterback], we've got to take care of the ball. That's going to be a big part of our success. ... We're going to count on our defense this year and just distribute the ball to the playmakers that we have. We take care of the ball, and I think that's the case for pretty much everybody in the league, you can win."

Not just games, but the job of starting quarterback for the Raiders.