Silver And Black Pride
The regular season is almost here as the Las Vegas Raiders will wrap up the preseason against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday. Then, Tuesday is cutdown day for the NFL, where the Raiders will have their 53-man roster set, and we play the waiting game until September 7! But first, we have this week’s mailbag to get to.
Q: Given the play of Aidan O’Connell and Cam Miller through the first two pre-season games, I am worried about the Raiders’ QB2 position. I know it’s late in the year, but do you think we should consider acquiring a QB2 via trade or FA?
A: I think the backup quarterback spot is a small concern. In my opinion, O’Connell played better against San Francisco, looking at the majority of his throws. But the interception was terrible, and it feels like he can’t avoid making the one crucial mistake when he’s out there. Plus, throwing three picks against backups isn’t exactly comforting.
Additionally, I thought Miller looked good in Seattle to potentially push O’Connell. However, the rookie was bad last week, also throwing an interception, and it seems like he’s just not ready yet. That’s fine for his long-term projection, but it doesn’t offer much comfort for the QB2 spot this year.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Raiders pay close attention to who gets cut next week, monitoring the Browns’, the Giants’ and the Chargers’ situations, just to name a few teams. Kenny Pickett, Jameis Winston or Taylor Heinicke/Trey Lance could become available after cutdown day as a few noteworthy options. Throw Case Keenum in there too, since the Bears just extended Tyson Bagent.
As far as current free agents go, Carson Wentz, C.J. Beathard and Jeff Driskel are the top three available, in my opinion. So, the pickings are slim.
All that being said, I don’t think O’Connell is a bad backup option. But I also think he needs to have a good outing on Saturday to ease some concerns.
A: If the Titans are willing to trade for O’Connell, I’d hear them out at the very least. I’d be concerned about what the plan is for a backup quarterback, since Miller is a rookie making the jump from FCS to the NFL and could use a year to sit before getting thrown into the fire. But I’ll take draft picks for a guy who likely won’t be on the roster after 2026, anyway.
If O’Connell does get dealt, look for one of the quarterbacks mentioned above (or someone else) to be on the front office’s radar. One other name I’ll throw in there is Kyle Trask. John Spytek was in Tampa Bay when the Buccaneers drafted Trask in the second round, and the Bucs signed Teddy Bridgewater at the beginning of training camp. So, Trask could be a potential trade target.
**Q: I really haven’t heard anything about Malcolm Koonce’s progress after his injury, haven’t heard his name mentioned on plays during the first two pre-season games. He’s made...
