Earlier in the offseason, after the acquisition of Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Aidan O'Connell became an obvious trade candidate. But sheerly based on experience, he had some value that couldn't be overlooked as the best option to be Smith's backup this season.
Then, Thursday night's preseason opener happened. O'Connell struggled mightily against the Seattle Seahawks' backup defense, throwing two interceptions and making a handful of other head-scratching plays.
To make matters worse for him, sixth-round signal-caller Cam Miller, who was selected by this year by the current regime, led two fourth quarter scoring drives, and put the Raiders in position for a game-winning field goal attempt.
Raiders could trade Aidan O'Connell to the Titans
The idea that Miller could push O'Connell for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart was initially brushed off, but now it is front-and-center as a legitimate conversation. After Thursday's performance, the idea of trading O'Connell has come back, should there be a proper opportunity.
Raiders analyst Moe Moton recently offered the idea that O'Connell could garner a mid-round pick in a trade after a strong start to training camp. A return along that line would likely only come if he played well in preseason games though, and O'Connell is now 0-for-1 in that realm.
After the Raiders' preseason opener, Moton circled back to revive a potential prime trade destination for O'Connell.
"Aidan O’Connell to the Titans makes sense," Moton wrote. "Dave Ziegler drafted him to the Raiders. He’s the Titans asst. GM. Will Levis out for the yr. TEN signed Brandon Allen, who knows Titans HC Brian Callahan from their time in CIN. O’Connell is better than Titans QB3 Tim Boyle though."
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Saying O'Connell is better than Tim Boyle, who has somehow had a long NFL career as a backup despite being awful in college at non-renowned programs UConn and Eastern Kentucky, is the faintest of faint praise.
But Brandon Allen, beyond his history with Titans head coach Brian Callahan, is not exactly an appealing backup option either. O'Connell is arguably better than both, and former Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler, now with the Titans, may vouch for his former draft pick in exactly that way.
O'Connell will surely play quite a bit in Las Vegas' second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. This could become a showcase to try and create a trade market for him, but it may not need to come to fruition if the Titans are unsatisifed with their situation behind No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.