Can Miller Compete with AOC for Raiders' Backup Job?

The Las Vegas Raiders added an intriguing quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Las Vegas selected North Dakota State’s Cam Miller in the seventh round, a player who projects as the team’s emergency quarterback next season. It was somewhat surprising that the team waited so long to acquire a quarterback, but they landed one with considerable upside.

We know that Geno Smith will be the team’s starter, but there could be a heated competition for the backup spot now that Miller is in the fold. Aidan O’Connell has served as the backup and a spot starter in the last two seasons.

O’Connell has always played well when he gets an opportunity, but the team, no matter who the general manager is, has looked to find another quarterback to at least compete with him.

Could Miller be the latest edition of competition for O’Connell, and could he finally be the one to truly unseat the Raiders’ incumbent?

Miller has a fun play style and was a record-setting quarterback for the Bison. He was a two-time FCS national champion and holds the school record for passing yards with 9,720.

Of course, collegiate production does not always translate to the NFL, but Miller has traits that do. He is an accurate quarterback who does not turn the ball over, and he has some mobility to him, too.

O’Connell is accurate and makes good decisions with the football, but he lacks the mobility that Miller possesses.

O’Connell’s preseason turnovers were a factor in why he lost the quarterback battle to Gardner Minshew last season. Is he feeling the pressure now that the team has added another quarterback?

It may seem pointless to debate who will be the backup to Smith, but the league has shown why having a good backup QB matters. If Smith gets hurt, the Raiders hope to have a player who can hold down the starting spot until he returns.

It’s also possible the Raiders added Miller just to have another body in the room, and that O’Connell is not in any danger of losing his spot.

If they had taken a quarterback earlier in the draft, it might have been a different conversation, but the team waited until the seventh round.

In the next few months, we will see how Miller performs compared to O’Connell.

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