Despite ending the preseason with a loss, the Las Vegas Raiders have much bigger things on the horizon. Specifically, getting Josh Jacobs back up to speed is something that general manager Dave Ziegler is fully aware of. However, not all is a concern; at least the team has its QB2 in Aidan O’Connell. Let’s be honest, the “position battle” was just a mere formality once we all saw No. 4’s play on the field.
While speaking via telecast on Saturday (h/t Vic Tafur), Ziegler touched on the matter of Jacobs now rejoining the Raiders. With two weeks before the team gets their regular season underway in Denver, Jacobs needs to be brought up to speed. Don’t forget, while JJ8 is surely in shape, he skipped out on the entire offseason program with the team. Yes, that includes training camp and the preseason.
Luckily for Jacobs, he thrived under Josh McDaniels’ system last season. Picking up where he left off won’t be too hard, if we’re being honest. “Getting Jacobs in now gives us two weeks to ramp things up so that he is ready for the opener in Denver,” said Ziegler.
As Jacobs prepares to don his new number, the countdown to seeing him on the field now begins for Raider Nation.
What do the Raiders have in Aidan O’Connell?
As far as O’Connell goes, he’s been the “reveal” of the preseason. From astronomical praise to being crowned the “quarterback of the future,” it’s been an interesting ride. AOC4’s production really does speak for itself. He went 41 of 58, accumulating a 71-percent completion rate that included zero interceptions. All in all, he led six touchdown drives, as CBS’ Logan Reever pointed out.
Dave Ziegler went on to note that O’Connell has “built a good foundation here for the rest of year.” Whether that means he’ll be the official QB2 remains to be seen. At this point, what does the team have to lose? Brian Hoyer will remain on the squad if not for anything else due to Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury history, meaning O’Connell’s mentoring will continue. That being said, the future does indeed look good for the Purdue product.
Maybe Ziegler is onto something with this Day 3 selection, who was compared to Tom Brady at one point, after all.
*Top Photo: Getty Images