Getty Las Vegas Raiders HC Antonio Pierce.
Gardner Minshew has exceeded expectations for the Las Vegas Raiders through two games. He’s fourth in the NFL with 533 passing yards and his 77.5% completion percentage is the best in the league among qualifying quarterbacks.
While he’s off to a strong start, he hasn’t proven he can lead a team to the playoffs before. This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers brought in two starting-caliber quarterbacks by trading for Justin Fields and signing Russell Wilson.
The latter was supposed to start in Week 1 but an injury has slowed him, which has led to Fields getting a hold on the job. ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes that Wilson could have trade interest around the NFL if he never reclaims the starting job.
“Wilson has a no-trade clause, which means he’d get to pick his spot (or be released) in this hypothetical scenario,” Graziano wrote in a September 20 column. “And it has been several years since he has shown anything that would make a team want to trade for him. But if someone became desperate, a move could be in play.”
Graziano then specifically listed the Raiders as a potential suitor.
“The Raiders or any contender that suffers an unforeseen injury to its starter in October probably would poke around on Wilson, too,” Graziano wrote.
Is Russell Wilson an Upgrade Over What Raiders Have?
What’s fortunate for the Raiders is that even if Minshew were to get injured, they already have a capable backup in Aidan O’Connell. Wilson has been on a rapid decline since the 2021 season. He had a winning record as a starter in the first nine years of his career. The last three seasons, he’s been under .500.
On paper, Wilson had a solid 2023 season. He threw 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. However, there’s a reason the Denver Broncos benched and then cut him. His 50.7 QBR last season was the second-worst of his career.
Wilson is a declining player and it’s difficult to see how he’d be much of an upgrade over what the Raiders have. Even O’Connell is likely a more effective player for Las Vegas right now than Wilson would be. Also, if Minshew and O’Connell aren’t good enough to win games, it’s unlikely that Wilson would be. The Raiders would be better off keeping what they have and addressing the quarterback need in the offseason.
Raiders Need to Improve Running Game
It doesn’t matter who the Raiders quarterback is if they can’t improve the running game. Through two games, the team is only averaging 49.0 rushing yards a game, which is the worst in the NFL. Their 2.5 yards per carry is also the league’s worst.
Head coach Antonio Pierce wants to have a great running offense but that hasn’t been the case this season. He believes the offensive line’s struggles have been a big reason why they can’t get things going on the ground.
“It’s got to start up front,” Pierce said during his September 18 media availability. “There has to be an intent and a play style that we talked about and that we practiced and that we’ve been preaching since day one. It’s not showing up on game day, so obviously if there’s (lineup) changes that need to be made or scheme (changes), everything’s on the table.”
