When Aidan O’Connell went down in the third preseason game with a significant wrist injury, there was speculation that his time with the Raiders might be coming to an end.
But O’Connell was on the Raiders’ initial 53-man roster when it was announced earlier this week, and it was a decision that Raider Nation Radio host Q Myers said caught him by surprise.
“I really thought Cam Miller was going to make the 53-man roster because of the injury to Aidan O’Connell. The move that wasn’t made was probably the biggest surprise for me, that Aidan O’Connell is initially on the 53-man roster,” Myers said on the Locked on Raiders podcast on Wednesday.
Since Wednesday, O’Connell has been placed on injured reserve and the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore explained earlier this week why the Raiders chose to initially place O’Connell on the 53-man roster.
O’Connell’s future in Las Vegas is still uncertain, but Myers said on Thursday he believes the third-year quarterback could wiggle back into the picture by the end of the season.
“When they went out and made the trade for Kenny Pickett… I felt like maybe that was the end of the road for Aidan O’Connell because they gave a draft capital to bring in a backup quarterback when they could have just signed somebody that was out there as a free agent… I thought, ‘Okay, well, this is probably the end,'” Myers said on Thursday’s Locked on Raiders Squad Show podcast.
“But then they didn’t put him on IR immediately. They let him get on to the initial 53-man roster, so that caught my attention and let it be known… they’re not quite ready to give up on him. So that was encouraging from Aidan O’Connell’s point of view because he hasn’t really had the greatest circumstances since he’s been a Raider,” Myers continued.
“He’s only in year three and he’s on like year five when it comes to offensive coordinators. He’s had multiple head coaches. He’s dealt with circumstances… When you talk about a guy that’s been able to deal with some stuff, he’s had to deal with some stuff. He’s had some things happen to him in his life in the NFL, so he’s the guy that if he comes back in six to eight weeks whatever they’re going to re-evaluate at that stage of the game.”
“Kenny Pickett’s in the last year of his deal. Aidan O’Connell still has one more year left on his deal, so there is a world where he could actually come back and still have an opportunity to be the backup quarterback for the Raiders.”
x: @raidersbeat
I don’t understand giving up a draft pick for a backup quarterback??? There were several QBs in the market after cut day they could have grabbed in FA. If they’re not done with Aiden then why give up a draft pick? Thats two picks we lose next year in a 3rd for Geno and now a 5th for Pickett?? I think this was a bad move! IMO