The Las Vegas Raiders will be without their starting quarterback for a bit.
Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured thumb in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams and will miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing tests, NFL Media reported Monday. He is expected to be placed on injured reserve.
O’Connell appeared to suffer the injury in the first quarter when Rams safety Kamren Curl hit his hand as he followed through on a pass. The quarterback remained in the game for one more play, completing a 10-yard pass to DJ Turner on third-and-21.
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“I threw it, and it didn’t feel great,” O’Connell told reporters of his injury after the game. “I tried to tough it out but, yeah, it does not feel great.”
O’Connell, who became the Raiders’ starting quarterback again in Week 6, was “hoping for good news” after the game, but recognized that he could miss time as his thumb was “throbbing.”
“Super unfortunate,” O’Connell said. “I was really looking forward to today and this opportunity, and so for it to be cut short like that was definitely hard.”
Prior to the injury, O’Connell completed 6 of 10 passes for 52 yards over two drives. He’s completed 63.4% of his passes this season for 455 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions over four games, making two starts and replacing a struggling Gardner Minshew for the other two.
As a rookie in 2023, O’Connell, a fourth-round pick, threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions over 11 games, making 10 starts. Las Vegas went 5-5 over the 10 games O’Connell started.
The Raiders opted to sign Minshew after the season and made him the starter following the preseason. However, Minshew was benched after the Raiders went 2-3 in their first five games. The veteran threw three interceptions in Sunday’s loss, giving him a league-high eight interceptions on the season. He’s also thrown for 1,168 yards and four touchdowns this season.
With O’Connell sidelined, the Raiders are adding more depth at the quarterback position. They are signing Desmond Ridder off of the Arizona Cardinals‘ practice squad, according to NFL Media. Ridder started 17 games for the Atlanta Falcons across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
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