Raiders are a Geno Smith Injury Away From a Lost Season

Injuries happen and that’s just the nature of playing a physical sport. For the Raiders, they have brutal injury news. After their preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell suffered a broken wrist and will be out 6-8 weeks. That’s the last thing the team needed. They are now a Geno Smith injury away from a lost season.

Raiders are a Crucial Injury Away from Disaster

Is this a bit of hyperbolic reaction? Absolutely. But when you look at the Raiders quarterback situation, it’s not that outlandish to say. The quarterback is the most important position on the field and the Raiders finally have one in Geno Smith.

A reason I do think the Raiders will have an underrated offense is because Smith is a perfect fit for the type of offense that Chip Kelly likes to run. Smith is mobile, can extend plays, and is overall a good fit. He has the weapons so it’ll be a match made in heaven. The same isn’t said for O’Connell.

O’Connell is an easy guy to cheer for. He does work hard and he has been able to deliver to a degree when called upon. However, this preseason has shown that he clearly is not a fit for this offense and how Kelly wants to operate.

He has zero pocket awareness and has trouble getting out of trouble when back there. O’Connell is not mobile and often is slow. He still makes bad decisions when passing the ball downfield and head coach Pete Carroll has said that he slows the offense down. The injury is bad from an overall depth outlook. So now what?

Where the Raiders Go From Here

The Raiders are one Smith injury away from a lost season. A season where they are trying to compete and improve. If Smith goes down, the Raiders are going to sink and quickly. If they want to save the season before it even starts, they need to go out and get a back up quarterback.

Cam Miller has the potential to be a good player. But he is far from ready to carry and lead an NFL offense. Anything is possible and magic can happen, but it’s hard to envision that the Raiders win many games if that’s truly the case. This front office shouldn’t be shy to making a big move and the trade route is where they’ll go.

The Raiders could take advantage of teams’ situations under center. One name is Anthony Richardson. This has to be the final year for him in Colts blue. If it is, the Raiders should try and grab him and tap into his true potential. He is big, athletic, but needs to hone in his craft. Whether the Colts move him remains to be seen, but he did lose the job to Daniel Jones.

Malik Willis (former Titan), is stuck behind Jordan Love in Green Bay and could be useful with the Raiders. In addition, Hendon Hooker (Lions), is buried behind Jared Goff. Both are tremendous talents that could be useful backups in the event Smith gets hurt. Also, per Vinny Bonsignore an option for a signing is veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Experience helps and he brings loads of it.

The Raiders cannot afford a Smith injury. And they need to address the backup position sooner rather than later.