The Raiders’ quarterback competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew may begin to heat up on Tuesday with the club’s first padded practice.
Before the session, head coach Antonio Pierce said in his press conference that things are at “status quo” between the two QBs, with neither creating much separation so far.
“I’d like to see — again, I’m gonna keep saying it — somebody to just take it and say, ‘I’m the guy, AP.’ Make it clear and evident,” Pierce said. “And then we’ll make that decision at that point.”
Pierce added that putting pads on should help the offense, and by extension the quarterbacks to make more of an impact.
“I think it’s difficult when we don’t have pads on,” Pierce said. “There’s a lot of things, I’m sure you saw it looked like the defense was winning. But obviously, you hope that will stop now with pads on — a little more resistant. But it goes back to the No. 1 thing is taking care of the ball, putting the team in a position to win. Managing the offense, understanding the operational [elements]. You saw some situational stuff there yesterday. I think our guys are doing a good job. Both quarterbacks are really embracing it. But, again, I’ll just go back to it — somebody has to just separate from the other.”
Reports from Raiders camp have indicated both O’Connell and Minshew have been inconsistent in practice, though O’Connell is committing fewer turnover-worthy plays. We’ll see if that changes as Las Vegas continues to get ready for the season this week.