Training Camp Day 10: Secondary shines amidst continued quarterback shortcomings

The story of Raiders training camp had been the intense struggles of the offense. Then late last week, it felt like Luke Getsy's crew was finally starting to make some progress and gain a clearer picture of the starting quarterback. That feeling seems to be crashing back down to Earth as Tuesday's practice in Costa Mesa yielded even more unsatisfactory results for the offense.

Head coach Antonio Pierce has preached consistency at the quarterback position all offseason, and through 10 days of practices at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex, there has not been a shred of stability. Teams hope a quarterback battle is an intense trading of blows where each day, the players make it difficult on the coaching staff to bench one of them. The opposite has been true so far for Las Vegas, as neither quarterback has made a compelling argument to even be on the field.

Aidan O'Connell has struggled under pressure by tossing up jump balls, many of which were intercepted by the defense. Gardner Minshew has struggled under pressure by taking too many sacks and losing yardage. Minshew still likely holds the lead in the competition as he produces more touchdowns and roughly the same amount of interceptions, but it is an underwhelming contest so far.

Notes from camp

Levi Damien noted that there were a handful of players missing from Tuesday's camp, among them were wide receivers Davante Adams, Keelan Doss, Tulu Griffin, and Zach Foreman. Also absent were CB Brandon Facyson, TE Zach Gentry, and rookie LB Tommy Eichenberg. Offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Kolton Miller remained on the sideline as well.

Tuesday's camp started off on a strong note, with Minshew tossing a touchdown to rookie Brock Bowers in the redzone session, according to Levi Edwards of Raiders.com. However, the story of this segment was Maxx Crosby, who has been wreaking havoc all camp.

Logan Reever of 8News Now noted that there were some positives and negatives in the two-point conversion segment. The offensive line was called for two holding penalties in the period, but Minshew did bounce back and find Bowers again for a big chunk play. He's had his troubles during camp, but Minshew has also shown his resilience by bouncing back from negative plays at the next opportunity. He did a similar thing later in practice:

The team then transitioned into 3-on-3 drills, and Tashan Reed of The Athletic detailed some unfortunate happenings in the period.

Jones followed up that interception with another, this time picking off Minshew in the 11-on-11 segment.

O'Connell then had a good segment in 11-on-11, according to Vic Tafur. He asserted that the tight ends have been utilized heavily by the quarterbacks as "security blankets."

AOC's strong performance lasted exactly one drive, as the following possession he overthrew his receiver and Tre'Von Moehrig came up with an interception. The feeling at practice from the media members dwindled into even deeper frustration.

Logan Reever had fans covered once again today, detailing the play-by-play of the 1st team reps during the 11-on-11 period.

There is still time for the offense to pick things up, but right now, it is not promising. Perhaps the defense is truly elite and opposing teams will have just as much trouble, but there should be more give and take at this point in camp if the offense is a serious unit.

Players' perspective

Both quarterbacks spoke to the media after practice, but neither seemed particularly excited to be doing so. Fans are used to a quirky Minshew and a light-hearted O'Connell, but it seemed like both were frustrated and a bit beside themselves.

I am sure the stress of the quarterback battle is weighing on them, and neither has been playing to the level that they are capable of to this point, so this process cannot be easy. Doing it without two of your projected starters on the offensive line and without your star receiver is even harder, as is doing things against the buzzsaw of a unit that Patrick Graham puts on the field every day.

Minshew and O'Connell both acknowledged that their role this year as a quarterback will be simple: take care of the ball and get it out to their playmakers. With the high-level defense that the Raiders have, the one thing the offense cannot do is put the team at a huge turnover deficit. Both quarterbacks are accepting this reality and taking it in stride.

There was one promising comment from Minshew, as he asserted that he thinks they have "really grown as an offense and [they've] really started to figure out who [they] are." Perhaps there is some truth to this sentiment; maybe the Raiders defense is just that good.

As it pertains to the battle itself, Minshew is staying focused more on what he can do, and not how he compares to his competition. He said, "I'm honestly just trying to compete against myself. If I can get better, I'm going to be alright." Hopefully, this laser focus turns into some consistent production because the clock is ticking.

O'Connell said all the right things in his interview, as expected, and he drew praise from one reporter who acknowledged how vocal he has been with the offensive group. O'Connell commented that he feels "more comfortable now with the guys" than he did last year because it was "really hard as a rookie." Growth in this realm is critical for a young player like O'Connell, especially one who needs to command the huddle.

Andrus Peat also took the podium and spoke for a while. His father played for the Raiders, so he touched on how much of a full-circle moment it was for him to be playing for the team he and his siblings grew up cheering for.

Peat's versatility has been on display in camp. He slid out to left tackle last season for the Saints in a full-time role after spending most of his career as a guard. He has always moved around, however, as he claimed to have played three different positions on the line in a single game while in New Orleans on certain occasions. Peat will be invaluable to a Raiders offensive line room this season that seems to have a handful of question marks at this point.

The team also announced the signing of WR Dax Milne, and the release of DT Tomari Fox in a corresponding move. The former BYU Cougar was a seventh-round draft pick by the Commanders in the 2021 NFL Draft, and has made most of his impact in the league thus far in the return game. In two healthy seasons, he has accumulated 15 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, and he led the NFL in 2022 with 40 punt returns for 311 yards, as well as 15 kickoffs for 300 yards. He spent last season on IR.