Raiders 2023: Fans think Aidan O’Connell will start at some point as a rookie

Maybe it’s excitement over an unknown rookie and maybe it pessimism based on a history of injury by the starter, but members of this community are expecting to see Aidan O’Connell this season;

We recently asked our community members if the think O’Connell, a fourth-round draft pick, will start, at least, one game in the 2023 NFL season. The results were overwhelming. In a poll in which 628 votes were cast, 80 percent of the voters (502 votes) believe O’Connell will start a game in 2023, while just 20 percent (126 votes) think the Purdue product will not start a game.

I totally understand the reasoning of these results. New Las Vegas starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been oft injured. He has played a full NFL season just once.

Behind Garoppolo is veteran Brian Hoyer and then Aidan O’Connell and Chase Garbers, who spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad and is probably earmarked for that route as well this season.

If O’Connell ends up starting it will be because they think he can help win more than Hoyer, who is 0-12 since 2016 as a starter. O’Connell has been up-and-down in training camp and he should get a lot of opportunities in the preseason, starting Sunday at home against the San Francisco 49ers.

Perhaps we will see him in meaningful games later this season. This community believes it will happen.