-
Ryan McFadden
Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured right wrist in the club’s 20-10 loss at the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason finale on Saturday night.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll said O’Connell will need surgery and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
Following the Raiders’ 10-play, 32-yard scoring drive, which resulted in a 52-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson at the start of the second quarter, O’Connell was looked at by trainers on the sideline before going to the locker room.
O’Connell came out of the locker room later in the quarter with a splint on his right hand, while rookie Cam Miller stepped in at quarterback. A sixth-round draft pick, Miller completed 12 of 24 passes for 124 yards and a passer rating of 61.5.
“[O’Connell] is going to be out a while,” Carroll said. “We got to see what we can do and keep developing Cam.”
Carroll said Sunday that the Raiders would “of course” look to add another backup quarterback while O’Connell is sidelined.
“All possibilities are available right now,” Carroll said. “I mean, wherever they come from, and we’re looking everywhere to see we find the best guy that fits us.”
Entering his third season, O’Connell has totaled 3,830 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 20 career games, including 17 starts. Last season, O’Connell missed multiple weeks with a broken thumb.
O’Connell was inconsistent in his first training camp under Carroll, and in three preseason games, the quarterback committed four turnovers, including three interceptions. O’Connell was strip-sacked in the first quarter against Arizona, eventually leading to a game-tying touchdown reception from Cardinals wide receiver Simi Fehoko.
Carroll said that in addition to the turnovers, the offense wasn’t as fast when O’Connell was under center.
“We don’t play as quick from huddle to the snap,” Carroll said. “Still trying to work that out.”
With O’Connell expected to go on the injured reserve list, the Raiders’ depth at quarterback is down to starter Geno Smith and Miller, meaning they likely will bring in another signal-caller.
When Carroll was asked if Miller was ready to be the Raiders’ second-string quarterback, he said, “We’ll see.”
Miller, who has played primarily with the third-team offense, was 32-for-61 with 305 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the preseason.
“Let’s see what happens here,” Carroll said. “I’ll have to go check the film.”