Raiders quarterback competition: DVOA gives Aidan O’Connell ‘game manager’ label

As it’s been said before, there will be lots of opinions on the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew from now until the end of training camp, or until one of them is named the starter.

So, it’s no surprise that FTN’s Aaron Schatz weighed in on the battle in FTN’s Football Almanac 2024, which previews the upcoming season and can be purchased using this hyperlink. Specifically, the chapter on the Raiders shines a light on ‘developing prospects’ and provides some analytical insights into O’Connell’s rookie year.

“O’Connell ranked 25th in DVOA and DYAR last season,” Schatz’s team wrote. “He was above replacement level and out of the Zach Wilson danger zone of haplessness. It’s conceivable that he could develop into a sturdy game manager.

“That said, he’s dangerously immobile, was a fourth-round afterthought in the 2023 draft class, and did his best work against staggering opponents helmed by Tommy DeVito, Easton Stick, and Jarrett Stidham.”

For some background information, DVOA (Defensive-adjusted Value Over Average) calculates a team’s success based on the down-and-distance of each play during the season, then calculates how much more or less successful each team is compared to the league average. Schatz explains DYAR (Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement) in the video below.