Aidan O’Connell’s rough preseason ended with an injury Saturday.
The Las Vegas Raiders’ backup quarterback left the team’s preseason finale at the Arizona Cardinals midway through the second quarter Saturday night with a reported right wrist injury. He was seen on the Raiders’ sideline shortly after going to the locker room with a splint on his hand.
After the game, Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll said O’Connell fractured his wrist and will be out 6-8 weeks. “It’s going to be a while. It’s a big blow
for us,” Carroll said.
O’Connell completed three of four passes for 36 yards before departing the game. He did lose a fumble on a sack on his first drive. It was his fourth turnover of the preseason.
Before his injury there had been speculation if O’Connell would be in danger of losing his backup job behind new starter Geno Smith to either rookie Cam Miller, who replaced him and finished Saturday’s game, or an outside option. All NFL initial 53-man rosters must be set by 1 p.m. Tuesday.
There has even been speculation the Raiders could try to trade for Anthony Richardson who lost the Colts’ starting battle to Daniel Jones.
Miller, a sixth-round pick, doesn’t look ready to be a No. 2 yet, so expect the Raiders to try to make a trade or pick up a veteran in the coming days with O’Connell now injured.
