The 2025 preseason is officially in the books as the Las Vegas Raiders fell to 0-2-1 in August, losing 20-10 to the Arizona Cardinals. Seeing as the games don’t count, the bigger issue for the Raiders is a team that enters the regular season with a handful of question marks just added another one: backup quarterback, headlining this week’s winners and losers column.
LOSER: Backup QB situation
Aidan O’Connell was strip-sacked for his fourth turnover in the last three weeks and ended up suffering a broken wrist in the process.
The latter will cause him to miss six to eight weeks, and the former casts doubts on his ability to handle the backup job when he returns.
Additionally, after a strong outing in the first preseason game, Cam Miller has shown he’s not ready for NFL action. The rookie has completed just 14 of 30 passing attempts for 127 yards, no touchdowns and only one interception but three ‘turnover-worthy plays”, per Pro Football Focus, over the last two weeks.
So, the Raiders have a backup quarterback problem and will be forced to scrounge the waiver wire and free agent pool or find a trade in the next couple of days to solve the issue.
WINNER: Andre Carter II
The fourth defensive end/edge-rusher spot is up for grabs in Las Vegas, and Carter has made a strong push for it over the last two weeks. He’s recorded a sack and two defensive stops in each game, leading the team with an impressive five pressures on 10 pass-rush snaps in Arizona, per PFF. Meanwhile, Charles Snowden, Carter’s biggest competition, had a quiet night against the Cardinals with only one pressure and an ugly 47.3 PFF grade.
LOSER: Thayer Munford Jr.
Previously, I wrote that Munford is likely a safe bet to make the 53-man roster since he’s the only backup option with significant NFL experience. However, I no longer think that, as he’s had a rough preseason.
The third-year pro has given up seven pressures on 71 opportunities this summer, including two on Saturday night, one of which was a sack against rookie Jordan Burch. Also, Munford wasn’t very effective in the running game over the last three weeks, earning a 54.1 PFF run-blocking grade.
So, it wouldn’t be surprising if Las Vegas looks for tackle help and moves on from the 2022 seventh-round pick.
WINNER: Zamir White
There have been plenty of questions about how big White’s role in the offense will be this season, as he’s been competing for the RB2 spot behind Ashton Jeanty. The fourth-year pro made a strong statement to win the job in Arizona, leading the team with 42 yards on nine carries for an average of 4.7 yards per rush. Additionally, 35 of his yards and 3.89 ypr came after first contact, per PFF.
LOSER: Darien Porter
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Porter. He’s been targeted four times and allowed three catches for 41 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown against the Cardinals, where he was beaten badly in man coverage. He’s been competing for a starting spot with Decamerion Richardson throughout training camp, and Richardson has given up just 18 yards on three targets and two catches all preseason.
Additionally, Kyu Blu Kelly has emerged as a potential first-stringer at cornerback, making it less likely that the rookie begins his career as a starter.
WINNER: Cody Lindenberg
Lindenberg entered Saturday night on the roster bubble and made a strong case to earn one of the Raiders’ 53 spots, leading the team with seven total tackles. The seventh-round pick was active all evening and in several phases of the game, earning a 75.4 PFF run defense grade, recording five defensive stops, yielding just two yards in coverage and logging a sack. That will give the coaching staff something to think about on Tuesday.
WINNER: Greedy Vance
It might have been too little, too late for Vance, but he had an impressive night in Arizona. The USC product saved his best preseason performance for last, allowing just 11 yards in coverage while blowing up a screen for a TFL and coming up with a sack. He’ll likely begin the season on the practice squad, but that outing could help him be a quick call-up, especially with the Raiders’ need at nickelback.
