Let’s face it, everything has gone wrong for the Las Vegas Raiders this season. Now, the focus shifts to exploring potential solutions for the quarterback position. At this point, is it possible to salvage the situation?
Head coach Antonio Pierce saw his starting quarterback, Aidan O’Connell, go down early with an injured thumb. Just like that, “Minshew Mania” returned for the Raiders.
What Raiders fans thought MinshewMania was vs. reality pic.twitter.com/dppJK7bJnM
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) October 20, 2024
So, did No. 15 deliver? He delivered three interceptions to the opposing Los Angeles Rams, if that’s what you’re referring to. The Raiders, who remained in the game until the end, ultimately lost due to self-inflicted wounds.
Should the Raiders trade for Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers?
Looking back, Patrick Graham’s defense held Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in check—he completed just 14 passes and tossed one interception of his own. Unfortunately, it was a familiar story, as Luke Getsy’s feeble offense couldn’t muster anything of substance. Facing three losses in a row with two more difficult games coming up against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals, is there anything to be done this far into the season?
O’Connell is out for the foreseeable future, and we’ve all seen what Minshew can and cannot do; that’s not exactly breaking news. What about trading for Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers?
The former number one overall pick has likely played his last down of football for them, but would it be worth it? If general manager Tom Telesco could swing a move for Young in exchange for mid- to late-round draft selection, the trade-off would be worth it. It certainly wouldn’t be worse than using that same pick on a rookie next year—Young has potential, but on a poorly designed squad such as the Panthers, it’s all been squandered.
The Carter Bradley factor…
Maybe a potential beacon of optimism lies within the team, we’re referring to Carter Bradley.
This will be an unpopular opinion, but why not start QB Carter Bradley from here on out? Minshew has not been doing it so why not?
— IN THE SHIELD WE TRUST (@starwarsfanhere) October 21, 2024
Bradley was largely unimpressive in preseason; he completed 17 passes for 275 yards while tossing a touchdown and one interception. The question is, what can Bradley offer that Minshew cannot already provide? Also, with both the Chiefs and Bengals coming up on the docket, you might be feeding Bradley to the wolves.
If there’s a switch involving Bradley, perhaps it’s best to pull the trigger once the bye week arrives after the Bengals matchup.
Then again, if you’re in rebuilding mode, do you really want your draft position being jeopardized with a potential spark? Sure, you want to give all the young players on your squad plenty of playing time moving forward, but you don’t want them screwing things up—like winning meaningless games, right? Then again, the Raiders are just three games out of .500 right now.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
Raiders Are Getting The Worst Of Both Worlds With Their Youth And Inexperience