Report: Raiders' O'Connell headed to IR with broken thumb
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell will be placed on injured reserve after fracturing his thumb in Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams, sources told Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
The Purdue product is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, Rapoport adds.
O'Connell suffered the injury while attempting a pass in the first quarter and and was replaced by Gardner Minshew.
Aidan O’Connell #raiders
— Tom Christ, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT (@FantasyInjuryT) October 20, 2024
Looks like his thumb gets caught on the defenders hand. Thumb injuries make it very difficult to grip/throw. We’ll see if he can return pic.twitter.com/fEvtvErWUf
O'Connell began the season as Las Vegas' QB2 behind Minshew but was named the starter for the remainder of the campaign in Week 6. The 26-year-old made 11 appearances (10 starts) as a fourth-round rookie in 2023.
In five starts in 2024, Minshew completed 70.7% of his passes with four touchdowns against five interceptions.
The Raiders are 2-5 and will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8.