Raiders mailbag: Is Aidan O’Connell’s backup QB job in jeopardy?
SEATTLE — The Raiders rallied to force a 23-23 tie with the Seahawks on Thursday in their preseason opener, but the struggles of their first-team offense and defense and backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell stood out the most.
Their fans have plenty of questions as a result. Here’s what arrived in this week’s mailbag:
Jarr (@JEANTY4OROY): Do you think Aidan O’Connell moves down to third-team quarterback after Thursday’s game?
Vincent Bonsignore: No, but he needs to play much better Aug. 16 when the Raiders host the 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. A continuation of his struggles against the Seahawks, coupled with another strong showing by rookie Cam Miller, could give coach Pete Carroll reasons to start looking closely at the backup quarterback position.
In his third season, O’Connell is too experienced to make the mistakes he made Thursday. There were two badly thrown passes that ended up as easy interceptions and a bad decision on an intentional grounding call.
Tyler Bischak (@Tylerj14b): Will the starters get more playing time in the final two preseason games?
Bonsignore: Given how the starters and second-stringers struggled in some basic areas against the Seahawks, one would assume they would get more playing time, at least in the 49ers game.
Keep in mind, though, the Raiders have a joint practice against the 49ers on Thursday. The starters’ playing time in the game could be determined by how much work they get against the 49ers starters in the practice and how they fare.
Ricardo Lopez (@Ricardo80211503): What is the bigger concern between the offensive line’s inability to run block or the defense’s inability to tackle?
Bonsignore: The Raiders struggled in both areas. But it felt like the bigger issue was the run defense. Too many poor angles, too many bad run fits, too many missed tackles and not enough getting off blocks doomed the Raiders and led to far too many positive runs by the Seahawks. They surrendered the edge on a handful of occasions.
Eric (@BigE4203): Which rookie and undrafted player stood out to you the most in the game?
Bonsignore: Defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway and linebacker Michael Barrett.
Tonyc (@Acr1118): Why did Jackson Powers-Johnson stay in the game so long?
Bonsignore: The Raiders are still trying to figure out their center and right guard combination, so Powers-Johnson got extended time at right guard and Jordan Meredith at center. They must get their offensive line figured out. It’s the key to everything they do.
JustWinBaby! (@USA82181944): Do the Raiders have the right players to stop the run, especially at inside linebacker?
Bonsignore: As poorly as the run defense was Thursday, the veteran linebackers should be fine. But they have a lot to clean up.
Cornettefan1991 (@kswrestlingfan): We saw the defense as an issue. Which part is the most concerning, and which part do you have confidence in?
Bonsignore: No question, the bad run defense is the most glaring concern. It’s a continuation of the issues from last season. One has to assume the veteran defensive players are eager to get that fixed.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.