Raiders QB Options After Aidan O’Connell’s Injury + Roster Projections

RAIDERS SEARCHING FOR A BACKUP QB

Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured wrist in Saturday’s preseason finale and will miss at least six to eight weeks. Pete’s been clear that they view Cam Miller as a developmental project. They’re not going to move forward with him as the number two quarterback. So they’re in the market for another quarterback, and on Sunday, Pete laid out the key thing they’re looking for in their primary backup.

Pete obviously wasn’t going to offer up a ton; he doesn’t want to show their hand, but we’ve got one thing to hang our hat on: experience. With that in mind. Here’s a look at three (semi) experienced guys who I think the Raiders could have some interest in.

Tyler Huntley

This is probably the guy that came to mind first for a lot of people. Tyler Huntley was just released by the Browns, and he brings really solid experience to the table that could be hard to find in a backup. For starters, he’s been named to a Pro Bowl. I know it was a weird deal, but that still counts for something. He’s also played in 23 games over the last four seasons and two postseason games, too. I know the playoff games weren’t good outings, but still a great experience to have nonetheless. Over his career, he’s completed 64.6% of his passes and racked up 2,786 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In college at Utah, he was a ridiculously accurate quarterback, posting a 72.3% completion percentage, and he was top three in the country in efficiency, averaging 10.2 yards per attempt. I don’t always like going back to college stats, especially for guys who have been in the league a bit, but I think it just tells more of the story about the type of player he can be.

My take, he likely checks off all the boxes the coaching staff would be looking for. I think he’s the leader in the clubhouse to get picked up by the Raiders. The Raiders felt confident in what they had in Aidan O’Connell as their backup QB, and if something were to happen to Geno, you can at least feel good about turning to a guy like Huntley, who’s played well in the NFL when stepping in for an injured starter.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson

DTR would be my best fit for the Raiders. He was just waived by the Eagles, so his availability isn’t an issue. He’s only been in the league two seasons, so he doesn’t really fit the experience threshold Pete said he’s looking for, but he played under Chip Kelly at UCLA, so his experience with the play caller could, and should make up for that. I literally just said I don’t love going back to college stats, but give me a break here, we have to talk about what he did under Chip at UCLA. In his final three seasons, he completed 65.6 percent of his passes, had 60 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

In a less-than-stellar situation in Cleveland, he completed 52.6% of his passes in his two pro seasons, throwing just one touchdown and 10 interceptions. Admittedly, that’s not great. But given the history with Chip, the fact that he was an accurate passer in college, and he brings good mobility to the table, I think he could be an interesting fit in this offense. Would he be their quarterback of the future? Likely not, but he’s an interesting name to bring in, and if I were on the staff, I’d like to see what Chip can get out of him at the NFL level.

Brett Rypien

Here’s another guy who recently just hit the market. Brett Rypien got let go by the Vikings on Sunday and has experience with Pete and Geno Smith. He was on their practice squad for part of the 2023 season. He’s played in 10 games in four seasons as a pro, completing 58.3% of his passes for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In college at Boise State, he had an adjusted completion of 76.4% and was really good when he faced pressure, posting a 97.2 passer rating when teams brought the heat. Again, more college stats, but just to reiterate, these are backup quarterbacks, so you only have so much to go off of.

He’s another interesting option, and the reason I’m tossing him on here is his familiarity with Pete. He obviously showed enough to get a look a couple of years ago in Seattle, so maybe Pete takes another shot?

Those are the three guys who are currently available and make sense to me. I don’t like the idea of trading for a backup quarterback unless you see some long-term potential. I’d imagine Pete and the staff feel the same way, so I think they’ll just pick somebody up rather than trading for anyone who’s currently on someone’s roster. Again, the hope is that Geno plays the whole year, and it never matters who the backup is.

MISS ANYTHING?

Catch up on some of our recent stories:

FINAL ROSTER PROJECTIONS

If you want my full roster projections ahead of Tuesday’s cuts, you’ll want to catch the latest episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast embedded above. I break down the fallout from the Raiders’ preseason finale in Arizona — including Aidan O’Connell’s fractured wrist and what it means for the QB room, the RB/WR battles, and why the defense’s versatility will play a big role in shaping the 53. This one has all the storylines you need before cut day.

WHAT’S NEXT?

We’ll be back out at Raiders HQ this week as the team transitions to regular-season mode.

So with that in mind, keep an eye out for the next edition of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast after the cut-down deadline on Tuesday. We’ll be releasing an instant reactions podcast diving into who did and didn’t make the initial 53-man roster for the Raiders and what it means for the team going forward into the season.

Catch ya next time,