Who Should I Start? Sam Howell or Aidan O'Connell

Tuesday, September 2, 9:50 PM

Quarterback Sam Howell is likely to serve as the Philadelphia Eagles' QB2 behind Jalen Hurts in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Eagles acquired Howell from the Minnesota Vikings in late August after projected backup quarterback Tanner McKee (thumb) went down with a fractured thumb. McKee is not expected to be ready for Week 1, but he is expected to re-take Philadelphia's QB2 role when fully healthy. If pressed into action, Howell has 18 games of starting experience in the NFL. He led the NFL in pass attempts (612) and interceptions (21) in 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2023.

Wednesday, November 19, 3:15 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders announced on Wednesday that they activated quarterback Aidan O'Connell (wrist) from Injured Reserve. O'Connell has missed all of the 2025 season to this point after suffering a fractured right wrist in the preseason. It's possible that Geno Smith's poor play could open the door for O'Connell to make starts under center for the Raiders before the end of the year, but it's unclear if that's potentially in play as early as Week 12 when the team takes on the visiting Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Kenny Pickett has been serving as Smith's backup for the first 11 weeks of the season, but O'Connell could quickly jump him on the depth chart now that he's back. The 27-year-old has a 62.6% completion rate in his two years in the NFL, throwing for 3,830 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 20 games (17 starts).