Gardner Minshew’s slight edge in Raiders QB battle could be canyon based on timeline

The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback battle between Aiden O'Connell and Gardner Minshew isn't receiving as much attention from the national media because, well, there isn't an intriguing rookie involved. The Raiders passed on that opportunity in the NFL Draft, even though they were reportedly enamored with several of the top prospects who went elsewhere.

The Raiders feel satisfied with the options at their disposal in O'Connell and Minshew. The former showed some flashes in the regular season once Antonio Pierce took over and former QB Jimmy Garoppolo suffered in injury.

While Pierce has a history with O'Connell, he was please with what both quarterbacks showed in the preseason opener.

“I thought both guys were efficient,” Pierce said. “There were some opportunities that Minshew made down the field that were really good. But I thought both quarterbacks…obviously when it’s a clean pocket you can see what this offense can be with both guys. But I thought they really did a good job with operations."

Timing is everything in the Raiders quarterback decision

Pierce did compliment O'Connell, but it should be noted that Minshew led a touchdown drive, and he's an easy guy to rally around. While Minshew is a journeyman at this point in his career, he also has plenty of starting experience. By no means will Minshew win the Raiders a Super Bowl, but neither will O'Connell. Vegas isn't at that stage of their rebuild just yet.

The timing of Pierce's decision could very well play in Minshew's favor, as the Raiders coach hopes to have a final decision on the Week 1 starter in the days following the second preseason game.

“The goal will be to hopefully make a decision after this game this Saturday,” Pierce said. “We got to get ready to play football and I think we got enough film. We’ll have two games to evaluate both quarterbacks to see how they’ll play.”

If O'Connell can match Minshew in the Raiders second preseason contest against the Dallas Cowboys, then this should be a tougher decision than it appears today. Preseason stats have to be taken with a grain of salt, and Pierce has seen far more of these two passers than the media and fanbase.

If Pierce is to be taken at his word, he should have an answer for all the above by this time next week. Until then, though, Raiders QB speculation will run wild.