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Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell.
The 2024 season can’t end soon enough for the Las Vegas Raiders. The team was ravaged by injuries heading into their Week 14 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and things only got worse during the game.
In the second half, quarterback Aidan O’Connell was rolling out of the pocket when he was pushed to the ground by Buccaneers defensive line Calijah Kancey. O’Connell wasn’t able to get back up and eventually had to be carted off the field with what the Raiders are describing as a knee injury. Head coach Antonio Pierce said that O’Connell’s status “doesn’t look good.”
The injury may have been avoidable as Kancey hit O’Connell after he had thrown the ball. Despite an official standing right in front of the play, there was no flag for roughing the passer, which upset many fans.
Pierce seemed irked about the lack of a penalty there.
“We asked, per usual,” he said when asked about why the officials didn’t throw a penalty flag in his postgame press conference.
With only four games left in the season, it’s more than likely that O’Connell has played his last snap. If he gets sent to the Injured Reserve, this will be the third time this season the Raiders have had to send a quarterback there. O’Connell already had one stint there after breaking his thumb earlier in the season and Gardner Minshew is done for the year with a broken collarbone. It’s been an injury-plagued year for Las Vegas and it seems to be getting worse before it gets better.
Desmond Ridder’s Show Going Forward
Desmond Ridder is the only other quarterback currently on the active roster so he’s likely going to be the starter for the rest of the season. He joined the team in Week 8 but hasn’t gotten a start yet.
He hasn’t played particularly well when he has gotten on the field but the Raiders don’t have many options. Carter Bradley is on the practice squad and he’ll be the most likely player to be moved to the active roster if O’Connell is sent to Injured Reserve.
That said, the Raiders will likely need to add a quarterback. The team is eliminated from the playoffs but considering their injury luck, they need to have some depth behind Ridder. The only silver lining for the Raiders is that a top quarterback prospect could be on the way. The Jacksonville Jaguars won on Sunday, which now gives the Raiders the No. 1 pick in the draft for now, per Tankathon.
Will Raiders Sign Another QB?
At this stage in the season, the Raiders may just want to roll with Bradley and Ridder for the rest of the year. However, the team has been apprehensive to play Ridder all season and could look to make a move.
The Raiders were interested in Daniel Jones after he was released by the New York Giants. He decided to sign with the Minnesota Vikings but was only placed on the practice squad. He’d be available to sign to the Raiders’ active roster if he’s had a change of heart. If not, the team could consider bringing back Anthony Brown, who was with the team throughout training camp and is currently on the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad.
