Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured right wrist in Saturday’s preseason finale versus the Arizona Cardinals and is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks. He will require surgery to repair the fracture and is expected to be placed on injured reserve.
O’Connell sustained the injury in the second quarter, though it isn’t clear exactly when the fracture occurred. He was sacked and lost a fumble during his first drive, but returned to the game on the Raiders’ next possession.
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However, O’Connell left the game after his second series after consulting with trainers. He later returned from the locker room and wore a splint on his right hand while on the sideline. The three-year veteran finished with 36 yards passing, completing 3 of 4 throws.
“He fractured his wrist. He’s hurt and it’s going to be a while,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll confirmed after the game. “That’s a big blow for us.”
O’Connell was No. 2 on the Raiders’ QB depth chart, expected to back up starter Geno Smith. With him expected to miss at least the first four games of the season, Las Vegas will likely pursue another quarterback with some experience.
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Rookie Cam Miller, the Raiders’ sixth-round pick (No. 215 overall out of North Dakota State) is the only other quarterback currently on the roster. He threw for 102 yards on Saturday, completing 12 of 24 passes.
“We just got to see what we can do and keep developing Cam,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “Fortunately, he got a lot of playing time tonight, and that’ll help him.”
In his two previous NFL seasons, O’Connell has appeared in 20 games for Las Vegas, starting 17. He’s thrown for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, completing 63% of his passes. The Raiders selected him in the fourth round (No. 135 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
