One of the most surprising things to come out of the preseason was the play of rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell. With Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury history and Brian Hoyer’s age, the Raiders decided to give O’Connell a ton of playing time in the preseason. That certainly worked out well.
O’Connell played a ton of snaps for the Raiders in the preseason and was highly efficient. He completed over 71 percent of his passes while throwing for 462 yards and three touchdowns. What’s even more impressive is that he did not throw an interception and led his team on six touchdown drives.
Aidan O’Connell final preseason numbers:
41/58 (71%), 462 YDS, 3 TDs, 0 INT, leading 6 TD drives#RaiderNation #Raiders pic.twitter.com/65ZZdszoSC
— Logan Reever (@loganreever) August 27, 2023
O’Connell will be the team’s No. 3 quarterback for the 2023 season, but this preseason showed that the Raiders have a developmental QB on their roster with some upside. And if Garoppolo struggles to stay healthy, there is a chance that he could overtake Hoyer for the starting job.
O’Connell is one of the biggest winners of the preseason and is now one of the most interesting depth players on the roster going into the 2024 offseason. The fourth-round pick from Purdue had a fantastic preseason and his stock is clearly on the rise.
