Raiders may have found a secret weapon during preseason without even trying

The Las Vegas Raiders decided against taking a young quarterback early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, they traded for veteran Geno Smith earlier in the offseason and kept backup Aidan O'Connell on the roster.

Following Week 1 of the preseason, there’s a lot of talk in the football world about rookie quarterbacks. Everyone is talking about the Cleveland Browns' Shedeur Sanders, as well as the Tennessee Titans' Cam Ward and the New York Giants' Jaxson Dart.

However, the Raiders also have a rookie signal-caller who had an impressive performance, and he recently got a shoutout to prove it. Sixth-rounder Cam Miller came in during the second half of the Raiders' game against the Seattle Seahawks, and he impressed the fan base and more.

Cam Miller’s Week 1 preseason performance ranked third among rookie quarterbacks

In a recent CBS Sports piece, Tyler Sullivan ranked the best rookie quarterback performances in Week 1 of the preseason. This included J.J. McCarthy, who missed his actual rookie season with a knee injury, so there were 11 total quarterbacks ranked. Miller was third on the list, trailing only Sanders and Dart.

Sullivan acknowledged that Miller was working with a different set of circumstances than most quarterbacks on the list, entering the game late against players near the bottom of the depth chart. Still, the analyst was impressed with the rookie’s ability to lead the Raiders' offense.

"With those caveats out there, it' hard not to like what we saw from Miller when he got under center with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation for the Raiders," Sullivan wrote. "He completed all but one of his seven pass attempts, and the North Dakota State product helped shake his wide receiver loose with a pump fake en route to a 41-yard touchdown throw."

All told, Miller completed 6-of-7 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, and he led the Silver and Black on two great drives late in the game. His mobility was also fully on display, as he picked up a first down with his legs.

If nothing else, Miller’s performance has fans excited to see him again in Week 2. In a quarterback room without much established depth, people are intrigued to see if the rookie can emerge as the No. 2 quarterback.

With Aidan O'Connell throwing two interceptions to just one touchdown in his 30 attempts, Miller could see more opportunities moving forward.