Raiders QB Aidan O’Connell Suffers a Fractured Wrist

The Las Vegas Raiders received bad news Saturday night when backup Quarterback Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured right wrist during their 20-10 preseason finale loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The injury will sideline O’Connell for six to eight weeks, leaving the Silver and Black thin at the most crucial position on the field.

Aidan O’Connell Was Second On the Depth Chart

The injury occurred during what appeared to be a routine play in the second quarter. O’Connell had been moving the Raiders’ offense methodically down the field, completing three of his four pass attempts for 36 yards. In an instant, the third-year quarterback’s season took a dramatic turn.

Head Coach Pete Carroll didn’t mince words when addressing the media after the game. “He fractured his wrist — he’s hurt — it’s going to be a while,” Carroll said. “That’s a big blow for us.” After the injury, O’Connell was quickly attended to by trainers before disappearing into the locker room. He emerged later in the quarter with a splint on his right hand, watching helplessly as rookie Cam Miller took over under center.

A Pattern Of Misfortune

This latest setback continues a trend for O’Connell, who has battled injuries throughout his young NFL career. Last season, the former Purdue standout missed multiple weeks with a broken thumb, and now he faces another lengthy absence due to a wrist fracture that will require surgery.

The timing couldn’t be worse for both player and team. O’Connell was fighting to solidify his role as the primary backup behind starter Geno Smith. In three exhibition games, he had four turnovers, including three interceptions.

​Rookie Cam Miller Needs To Be Ready

With O’Connell injured, the backup role now falls squarely on Miller from North Dakota State. The rookie completed 12-of-24 passes for 124 yards against Arizona, posting a pedestrian 61.5 passer rating. Carroll remained noncommittal when asked if Miller was ready to serve as the Raiders’ No. 2 quarterback. “We’ll see,” he said tersely. “Let’s see what happens here. I’ll have to go check the film.” Miller has spent most of training camp working with the third-team offense. In three preseason games, he’s thrown for 305 yards with one touchdown and one interception on 32 of 61 passing.

Depth Chart Dilemma

The O’Connell injury creates a significant roster management challenge for the Raiders. With only Smith and Miller currently healthy at quarterback, the team will almost certainly need to bring in another signal-caller before the regular season begins.

This situation underscores the razor-thin margin for error in the NFL. O’Connell had carved out a role for himself over the past two seasons, starting 17 games and throwing for 3,830 yards with 20 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. His experience and familiarity with the offense made him a valuable insurance policy behind Smith.