With Jimmy Garoppolo out with a concussion, the Las Vegas Raiders are slated to start rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell for their Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to NFL Media.
The 135th overall pick in April's draft, O'Connell has yet to take a snap in a regular season game. He played well during the preseason, however, leading the Raiders with 482 passing yards (with a 69.4 percent completion percentage) and three touchdowns with an 108.4 quarterback rating.
The 25-year-old O'Connell played collegiately at Purdue, where he was the team's starter the previous two seasons. During that span, O'Connell threw 50 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and completed 67.7 percent of his passes. His solid play during the 2021 season included his 535-yard, five touchdown performance in Purdue's 48-45 win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
Aidan O'Connell is turning heads in @NFL preseason.
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 21, 2023
No QB has thrown more deep balls through two weeks, and the former @BoilerFootball star is completing 72% of his passes. 🎯
That got us thinking about how he hurt Tennessee down the field in the 2021 Music City Bowl. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/NQ5GsIiYIl
O'Connell will take over a Raiders offense that is just 29th in the NFL in scoring through three games. The running game has been a major issue, as Las Vegas is last in the league in yards gained on the ground and are still looking for their first rushing touchdown of the season.
The Raiders are continuing to receive high-level play from wide receiver Davante Adams, who caught 13 passes for 172 yards and two scores during the team's Week 3 loss to Pittsburgh. Adams is just 41 yards away from reaching 10,000 career receiving yards.
