The Raiders trimmed their roster to 53 players on Tuesday and as some had predicted, they made the decision to keep only two quarterbacks.
Gardner Minshew was named the starter just over a week ago, and Aidan O’Connell will begin the season as his backup. The expectation is that Minshew’s leash won’t be long and if the offense sputters early, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see O’Connell get an opportunity.
As of now, the Raiders only have two quarterbacks on the roster, but the expectation is that Carter Bradley will be back in the mix as a member of the practice squad.
Bradley was a long shot to make the roster going into the season as an undrafted free agent out of South Alabama. He didn’t play in the preseason opener but was the only quarterback other than Minshew and O’Connell to see the field in week 2 against the Cowboys. In week 3, he split time with Nathan Peterman and played surprisingly well.
“They’re going to try to bring Carter Bradley back,” Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter said this week on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “They cut Nathan [Peterman], [and] if they lose [Bradley] I think there would be some disappointment, but it wouldn’t be earth shattering to them. They expect to get him back and he’ll be signed to the practice squad.”
For Bradley, it was an uphill climb to gain the trust of the Raider coaching staff. He started the season behind Anthony Brown on the depth chart and the veteran Peterman entered the mix when Brown was released on August 16.
Presumably, it was this throw against the 49ers that put Bradley ahead of Peterman in the minds of the decision-makers in the Raiders building…
x: @raidersbeat
Below are the three agents that I feel the Raiders should consider adding.
Keenan Isaac – Tampa Bay
Curtis Jacobs – Kansas City
Chris Oladokun – Kansas City