O'Connell completed 10 of 20 passes for 93 yards, no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 34-18 loss to the Broncos.

EDGE Analysis

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

EDGE Analysis

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.

Coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that O'Connell won't play in Friday's preseason game against the 49ers, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Neither will Gardner Minshew, who was named the Week 1 starter Sunday. O'Connell will enter the regular season as the Raiders' No. 2 quarterback, after completing 21 of 29 passes for 176 yards, one TD and one INT in two preseason appearances.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce announced Sunday that Gardner Minshew will be the team's starting quarterback over O'Connell to begin the 2024 season, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pierce added during Sunday morning's press conference that experience was ultimately the team's deciding factor, stating that they "feel like [Minshew] gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start," according to Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic. O'Connell has more experience with the Raiders, starting 10 games with a 5-5 record and a 12:7 TD:INT during his 2023 rookie season. However, that falls short of the 37 career starts for Minshew, who also was named to his first career Pro Bowl with the Colts last year. It was clearly still a tight race for the job this preseason. O'Connell performed relatively well while coming in off the bench in the first two exhibitions, completing 21 of 29 combined passing attempts for 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It's also not out of the question that O'Connell could have a chance to start this season if Minshew and the Raiders offense struggles throughout the campaign. Therefore, it will be worth monitoring how the team performs in the regular-season opener versus the Chargers on Sunday, Sept. 8.

O'Connell completed 14 of 20 passes for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the Raiders' 27-12 preseason loss to the Cowboys on Saturday night.

EDGE Analysis

O'Connell had his opportunity after Gardner Minshew led the first five drives for Las Vegas, and the two players finished with very similar numbers. O'Connell's middling 4.8 yards per attempt was marginally better than Minshew's 4.5, although the former did stand out with a five yard-touchdown toss to Harrison Bryant. However, O'Connell also subsequently saw a throw intended for Bryant returned for a pick-six on the first play of the fourth quarter, putting a damper on his overall performance. The competition between the two quarterbacks seemingly remains very close, with a decision from head coach Antonio Pierce potentially coming before Friday's preseason finale against the 49ers.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said Sunday that he plans to name a starting quarterback between O'Connell and Gardner Minshew after Saturday's preseason game versus Dallas, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Pierce also said that O'Connell and Minshew are both slated to play at least one quarter during this exhibition with the Cowboys, which is in line with the playing time that they got during Saturday's 24-23 loss to Minnesota. O'Connell did ultimately start versus the Vikings, but he's been splitting first-team reps throughout training camp and appears to be on even footing with Minshew following the preseason opener. O'Connell was solid during his 11 regular-season appearances as a rookie last year, and he completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards during his lone offensive series against Minnesota. He'll also have a chance to separate himself during a week of practices before Saturday's game against Dallas.

O'Connell completed seven of nine passes for 76 yards in Saturday's 24-23 preseason loss to the Vikings.

EDGE Analysis

The second-year QB was expected to see about a quarter of action in the Raiders' preseason opener, but O'Connell wound up being under center for only a single possession as he led Las Vegas on a nearly eight-minute drive that ended in a first-quarter field goal. Gardner Minshew then took over to begin the second quarter and engineered three quick scoring drives before halftime, including two touchdowns. While O'Connell getting the start might suggest he's ahead in the battle to be the Week 1 starter, Minshew had a lot more success putting points on the board. The competition will likely continue into next Saturday's clash with the Cowboys.

Coach Antonio Pierce noted Monday that he expects both O'Connell and Gardner Minshew to play "a legit quarter" in Saturday's preseason opener against the Vikings, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

In terms of Saturday's contest, Pierce wouldn't announce a starter, suggesting that each QB would get a similar level of opportunity to make their case for depth chart slotting. "Who goes out first and who goes out second really doesn't matter. (They will) get hopefully an equal amount of snaps and opportunity to showcase," according to Pierce, who also indicated Monday via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com that he doesn't "think we can sit there and say somebody's won yet."

O'Connell and Gardner Minshew have been trading off first-team reps in training camp, Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site and Tashan Reed of The Athletic report.

EDGE Analysis

The fact that the two QBs have essentially been alternating first-team snaps on a practice-by-practice basis as the coaching staff gives both players a long look, though the starting experience O'Connell gained under Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce last season may give him a slight edge out of the gate. That said, if neither signal-caller pulls away during training camp and the preseason, it could be a while until a decision on the team's Week 1 starter is publicly revealed.