5 QB options for Raiders following injury to Aidan O'Connell

Who could serve as Desmond Ridder's backup?

Jacksonville Jaguars v Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars v Houston Texans | Wesley Hitt/GettyImages

The quarterback situation for the Las Vegas Raiders just keeps getting worse.

After a quarterback battle in the preseason between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell, the position has been a revolving door throughout the season.

Minshew started off the year at the helm but was benched in Week 6. Then, he had to return to the lineup after O'Connell, his replacement, broke his thumb the following week and went on IR.

Then, in Week 12, Minshew suffered an injury of his own, breaking his collarbone against the Broncos and landed on season-ending IR.

Fortunately, O'Connell was slated to return from injury the very next week, so he was reinserted into the lineup for Week 13.

On Sunday, however, O'Connell suffered a scary injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and according to reports, is likely to miss the rest of the season.

So, the Raiders are left with Desmond Ridder as the only healthy quarterback currently on the roster.

Ridder was signed off of the Cardinals' practice squad in October and has only played 62 snaps this season.

Jakobi Meyers can still serve as the team's emergency third quarterback, but the Raiders will need a legitimate second option for the remainder of the season even though the playoffs are out of reach.

The trade deadline has passed, so the team will have to sign a free agent or pluck someone off of an opposing team's practice squad.

While it is slim pickens at this point in the season, there are a few options out there.

Let's run through them in order from most to least appealing.

1. Carter Bradley, Las Vegas Raiders Practice Squad

Bradley is already in the building, so he makes the most sense. All it would take is just signing him to the active roster.

The South Alabama product signed with Las Vegas as an undrafted free agent this offseason and played well during the preseason but was recently passed over in favor of Ridder.

Now, with the team down two quarterbacks, he could be in line for a backup role.

2. Anthony Brown, Arizona Cardinals Practice Squad

Anthony Brown was also part of the Raiders' preseason roster, and he had his ups and downs in the exhibition games.

Because of the time he spent with Las Vegas before the season, adding him back into the mix would be more seamless than other candidates.

If he was signed, it would be the second time this season that the team has added a quarterback from the Cardinals' practice squad (Desmond Ridder) but desparate times call for desparate measures.

Or maybe Las Vegas let him walk for a reason.

3. Nathan Peterman, Atlanta Falcons Practice Squad

This sounds like a joke, but I promise it is not.

Peterman is familiar with the organization and is a true veteran who can adapt quickly and learn the playbook in a hurry.

He is not good enough to help the team win games if he is thrown into a contest, so he poses no threat to the fans who are solely focused on the Raiders' draft position.

But he would be an adequate backup in a pinch. And it would make a certain Barstool Sports employee happy to see.

4. Daniel Jones, Minnesota Vikings Practice Squad

The Raiders did not go after him when he was previously available, so this is a bit of a long shot.

Jones would not cost much money coming from the Vikings' practice squad and is surely the best quarterback on this list. But I do not think a major change is in the works at this point in the season.

The only situation I could see such a drastic measure happening is if Antonio Pierce needs to win a few games to ensure that he keeps his job. If that's the case, Jones is the guy.

5. Ryan Tannehill, Free Agent

Tannehill's name has been loosely linked to the Raiders all season, but the team has never bit on the best available free-agent quarterback.

With no playoff spot to play for, it seems nearly impossible that the team would add the former Titan and Dolphin at this point in the season.

He is probably the second-best option on this list behind Daniel Jones in terms of pure talent, but it is not worth the cap space to add someone for just a few games.

Perhaps Las Vegas should have gone down this road to begin with instead of adding Gardner Minshew in the offseason, but now is no time to correct that decision.

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