The Raiders placed O'Connell (thumb) on injured reserve Tuesday. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, O'Connell is likely to miss 4-to-6 weeks while he recovers from a broken thumb on his throwing hand. The Raiders haven't revealed whether O'Connell will require surgery to address the injury, but in his upcoming absence, Gardner Minshew will step back into the starting role. The Raiders signed Desmond Ridder off the Cardinals' practice squad to provide a depth option behind Minshew.
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Status
IR - Thumb - Fracture Expected Return: 2024-11-29Latest Aidan O'Connell news
Team
Las Vegas Raiders
Birthdate
9/1/1998 (26)
Status
Injured Reserve
HT/WT
6'3", 210 lbs
Draft Info
2023: Rd 4; Pk (LV)
Birthplace
Long Grove, IL, USA
Position
QB
College
Purdue
Experience
2 seasons
Career History
Las Vegas Raiders
2023-Present
(2 seasons)
The Raiders placed O'Connell (thumb) on injured reserve Tuesday. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, O'Connell is likely to miss 4-to-6 weeks while he recovers from a broken thumb on his throwing hand. The Raiders haven't revealed whether O'Connell will require surgery to address the injury, but in his upcoming absence, Gardner Minshew will step back into the starting role. The Raiders signed Desmond Ridder off the Cardinals' practice squad to provide a depth option behind Minshew.
The Raiders are expected to place O'Connell on IR due to a fractured thumb sustained during Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. O'Connell could be sidelined up to six weeks, a development which puts Gardner Minshew back under center for Las Vegas. In his lone full start this season, O'Connell completed 27 of 40 pass attempts for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Week 6 versus the Steelers. Across four appearances on the whole, O'Connell has thrown for 455 yards, two touchdowns and two INTs. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that O'Connell will seek a second opinion Monday to confirm the severity of his injury.
Based on preliminary tests, O'Connell is believed to have sustained a broken thumb during Sunday's game against the Rams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Per the report, O'Connell will undergo further evaluation Monday to determine the extent of his thumb injury. If he ends up missing time beyond Sunday, Gardner Minshew would be in line to reclaim the Raiders' starting QB job.
O'Connell exited Sunday's game against the Rams after suffering a thumb injury. O'Connell had completed six of his 10 pass attempts for 52 yards prior to leaving the contest. In his absence, Gardner Minshew is in at QB for the Raiders.
O'Connell completed 27 of 40 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Sunday's 32-13 loss to the Steelers. O'Connell took over as the Raiders' starting quarterback and faced a tough test against the Pittsburgh defense. He got off to a hot start by leading Las Vegas to a touchdown on the team's opening possession, and he went 4-for-4 for 45 yards while working primarily in short areas of the field. While O'Connell remained accurate throughout the game, he was hesitant to push the ball downfield and had only one completion of more than 20 yards. Assuming he stays under center in Week 7 against the Rams, O'Connell could be a bit more aggressive, though expectations should remain in check.
O'Connell is replacing Gardner Minshew as the Raiders' starting quarterback this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Minshew is being demoted to the backup role after starting the first five games of the season. Coach Antonio Pierce said he doesn't anticipate going back to Minshew, but Pierce did leave the door open to make another change if he eventually feels one is needed, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com. O'Connell will start off with a home game against the Steelers this Sunday, leading an offense that played its past two games without WR Davante Adams (hamstring), TE Michael Mayer (personal) and RT Thayer Munford (knee).
O'Connell completed 10 of 20 passes for 93 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 34-18 loss to the Broncos. For the second time in the last three games, O'Connell replaced Gardner Minshew. O'Connell took over late in the third quarter and led four uneven possessions. He did lead a touchdown drive, during which he went 8-for-11 for 79 yards, though it came in garbage time and he rarely pushed the ball down the field. O'Connell also threw an interception and had a three-and-out. Despite O'Connell's ineffectiveness, coach Antonio Pierce declined to name a starter for a Week 6 matchup against the Steelers, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
O'Connell is slated to remain the backup option under center for the Raiders for the team's Week 4 matchup with the Browns, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Head coach Antonio Pierce raised some eyebrows Monday when he hinted that a quarterback change could be on the horizon. However, Gardner Minshew is poised to get the nod for another start. Still, it looks like he's on a short leash as of now, meaning O'Connell could get the call at any point should Minshew struggle. The second-year signal-caller looked solid in garbage time Sunday, completing nine of 12 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Monday he hasn't ruled out O'Connell, who entered late during Sunday's 36-22 loss to the Panthers, starting over Gardner Minshew versus the Browns in Week 4, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. O'Connell looked solid in garbage time Sunday, completing nine of 12 passes for 82 yards and one touchdown late in the fourth quarter with Carolina having already firmly secured a win and focused on running out the clock. Still, with Minshew compiling only 214 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception in roughly three and a half quarters of play, it sounds like the Raiders will evaluate things under center. Pierce said Las Vegas was "just trying to look for a spark" by having O'Connell enter Sunday's game, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic.