An already bad Las Vegas Raiders quarterback situation got even worse during Sunday’s 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos when Gardner Minshew III was lost for the season with a broken collarbone. Minshew’s departure cleared the way for former third-round pick Desmond Ridder to play in his third game as a Raider, where he completed 5-of-10 passes for 64 yards, taking two sacks and losing his second fumble of the season.
Ridder has been in Vegas for just over a month since being signed off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, so he’s likely still learning the offense while building chemistry with his new teammates. Yet, he was the only healthy quarterback left on the active roster in Week 12’s loss.
With Minshew ruled out, will Ridder be the third different QB to start a game for the Raiders this season? If so, the coaching staff will have to get him ready quickly, with Friday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs approaching quickly. Yet, there may be another option, or two, that the Raiders could turn to instead.
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Las Vegas Raiders QB: Desmond Ridder, Aidan O’Connell, or Daniel Jones?
Gardner Minshew was only starting again due to Aidan O’Connell suffering a broken thumb in the Las Vegas Raiders’ Week 7 loss to the Rams. But that was on October 20th, and coach Antonio Pierce said the second-year pro would be designated to return to practice this week. The plan is to have O’Connell participate in the Raiders’ walkthrough tomorrow.
But will he be ready to play by Friday? The Athletic’s Vic Tafur “expects” O’Connell to be back in the Raiders’ lineup for Friday’s Chiefs matchup. But that doesn’t mean the Raiders couldn’t add another quarterback to the roster.
Previously, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio speculated that the Raiders may have promised Daniel Jones immediate playing time, and that was before Minshew broke his collarbone. Now that the Raiders’ QB depth chart has gotten even thinner at the top, perhaps Las Vegas will become even more aggressive in their pursuit of the former Giants QB.
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