Gardner Minshew remaining starter, per reports

Coach leaves door open for quarterback change

UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: According to NFL media’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders will be sticking with Gardner Minshew at starting quarterback despite Pierce’s hesitation during his recent press conference.

PREVIOUSLY:

Will the Las Vegas Raiders pull a Carolina Panthers and replace their quarterback this week?

Well, Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce didn’t exactly close the door on that notion Monday, a day after the Raiders’ embarrassing 36-22 home loss to Andy Dalton and the Panthers.

Pierce was asked if Gardner Minshew was still the starting quarterback for the 1-2 Raiders, Pierce said “I think we’ve got to get with the players and just evaluate everything from yesterday first.”

Yes, Pierce’s response was vague and it left the subject open by him being non-committal toward Minshew who won a training camp battle with second-year player Aidan O’Connell.

O’Connell entered the game in garbage time and completed nine of 12 passes for 82 yards with a touchdown. Pierce said O’Connell was put in to see if he could give the team “a spark.”

While he wasn’t perfect, Minshew wasn’t the primary reason why the Raiders were blown out Sunday. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 214 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception.

Even if Minshew is the quarterback Sunday at home against the Cleveland Browns, Pierce’s words Monday show that he will consider switching to O’Connell, who went 5-5 last season as a rookie starter, at some point if the losing continues.

In other Raiders notes:

• Pierce didn’t have any updates on the leg injuries that took both right tackle Thayer Munford and safety Marcus Epps out of the game Sunday.
• Pierce wouldn’t name any players who made “business decisions” in Sunday’s game. He said he would address it with the team.