Taking a Look at the Raiders QB Room

Now that I've completed my overview of the Raiders' 2025 schedule and looked at how I believe they'll perform in the AFC West, it's time to look at their roster before heading into the 2025 season, and I'll start with their quarterback room.

Of course, the official 53-man rosters haven't been unveiled yet, and there's still a while to go before that, but I believe their quarterback room will remain widely unaffected by their cuts they will inevitably have to make.

One can't discuss the Raiders' quarterback room without first discussing who left. Most notably, Gardner Minshew joined their divisional rival Kansas City Chiefs, and he was their starter for a good chunk of the 2024 season. Desmond Ridder also played some minutes for them last season, and he's still available in free agency.

However, I think there's no love lost from them leaving the team, especially considering they traded for the playcaller they wanted to run their offense. Geno Smith will be at the helm of this new and improved Raiders offense, and they're hoping he can breathe life back into Las Vegas.

He's in a quarterback-friendly system with a coaching staff that believes in him and all the tools to lead the Raiders to a successful season in 2025. He'll have to avoid forcing turnovers, but he isn't expected to bear the entire offensive load like he did with the Seattle Seahawks.

His immediate backup is Aidan O'Connell, another player who got starting minutes for the Raiders last season at quarterback. He's spent his entire career there, and I believe he's a serviceable player who can come in and give you quality minutes for a backup.

The Raiders were heavily speculated to draft a quarterback in this past year's draft class despite trading for Smith. They took a sixth-round flyer on Cam Miller from North Dakota State University, and he poses a real threat to O'Connell's job security.

Miller provides more rushing upside, and they've given O'Connell plenty of opportunities to show the Raiders he's the guy moving forward and has yet to deliver. Miller isn't guaranteed success in Las Vegas, but they drafted him for a reason, and I think he can do something special if he puts all his physical tools together and gets adjusted to NFL competition.

All in all, the Raiders have a solid quarterback room with a clear direction moving forward and upside with a developing player in Miller. If things don't look like they're improving in 2025, they may be in the market for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL draft, but that's entirely dependent on whether Miller is able to show them something or Smith overperforms and sends them to the postseason.

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