The Las Vegas Raiders had their ninth practice of training camp on Monday, and it was also the latest chapter in the quarterback competition between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew.
With this unpadded practice in the books, the Raiders are a handful of days away from their first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, Aug. 10, in Minneapolis.
Monday's practice was the opposite of Saturday's, as O'Connell was the better signal-caller while Minshew didn't turn in his best performance.
According to Vic Tafur of the Athletic, Minshew was erratic and failed to build off his fantastic scrimmage over the weekend. Though the veteran impressed with his mobility and scored a touchdown on a QB sneak, he failed to sustain drives and operate a competent offense.
According to Tashan Reed of the Athletic , O'Connell got more run with the first team and was the better player.
Minshew was the better quarterback during the Raiders’ scrimmage Saturday, but he had an erratic practice Monday. O’Connell, on the other hand, performed better and took more snaps with the starters. At this point, it’s still difficult to project how the competition will play out.
The 25-year-old "surged late in the workout" and made a couple of nice throws to Kristian Wilkerson and Tre Tucker, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal .
In Monday’s nonpadded practice, both quarterbacks struggled with accuracy in 11-on-11 situations. O’Connell surged late in the workout, connecting with Kristian Wilkerson and Trey Tucker on two 20-yard gains. But his final pass of the session fell incomplete in the red zone, denying the Raiders potential points.
Minshew, who worked mostly with and against second-teamers Monday, never found a consistent rhythm. He closed the practice with two straight scramble runs and a quarterback sneak that was ruled a touchdown. The plays he made with his legs, an element he holds an edge over the less mobile O’Connell, were notable. But the Raiders would rather have seen him making plays with his arm.
O'Connell's lone touchdown of practice went to undrafted free-agent wide receiver Ramel Keyton with the second team. While he was the more efficient quarterback to start the week, it doesn't appear it was by a lot.
With the preseason opener just days away, it is still unclear who has the edge in the competition, although it's safe to say the pendulum has swung back in O'Connell's direction, at least slightly.
Earlier in the day, head coach Antonio Pierce revealed that O'Connell and Minshew are expected to get a quarter each in preseason Week 1. We may get some insight into who Las Vegas has ahead by the order in which they go in.
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