The Las Vegas Raiders have made a decision about the quarterback position ahead of a matchup with the Miami Dolphins. The team will stick with Gardner Minshew.
Videos by FanBuzz
Head coach Antonio Pierce made the announcement during a Wednesday press conference. He asked, "What do you got to lose" at this point considering that the team is 2-7.
"Listen, when we brought in Gardner, we expected, obviously, the play that we've seen in the past. And at some point, you've got to give a guy confidence," Pierce said.
"There's been times, obviously, with turnovers and other things that's taken place where we made decisions to either put him on the bench or go to another quarterback.
"But this week, I felt like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to move forward. And he has every opportunity to go out there and give us a win."
Minshew started the season as the starting quarterback. He has been under center in eight games — starting seven — while throwing for 1,501 yards, six touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also lost four fumbles.
The bright moments have featured Minshew leading the Raiders to wins over the Ravens and Browns. He also struggled against the Broncos and Rams among other teams.
The Raiders benched Minshew and put Aidan O'Connell into the starting lineup. However, the second-year quarterback fractured his thumb and landed on Injured Reserve.
The Raiders picked up Desmond Ridder to provide another option at quarterback if needed. However, Ridder will remain the backup as the offense tries to get on track.
Part of this process will involve Minshew working with a new play-caller. Longtime NFL coach Norv Turner will take over the offense as he returns to the Raiders for the first time since 2004-05.
Turner, who led the Chargers to the playoffs multiple times as head coach, last served as an offensive coordinator in 2019. He was in charge of the Panthers offense in 2018-19. He also spent three seasons as the Vikings' offensive coordinator, which included a division win in 2015.
