Raiders announce plans at quarterback for Dolphins game

The Raiders made major changes to their offensive coaching staff during their bye week but remain committed to quarterback Gardner Minshew.

For now, anyway.

Minshew will start Sunday when the Raiders (2-7) travel to South Florida to play the Dolphins (3-6).

“I felt like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to move forward, and he has every opportunity to go out there and help us get to a win,” coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday.

What happens beyond Sunday is anybody’s guess. Aidan O’Connell, who replaced Minshew as the starter in Week 6 and then suffered a fractured thumb a week later, can come off the injured reserve list after the Raiders’ game against the Broncos on Nov. 24. Will the Raiders turn to him again?

And what about Desmond Ridder, acquired from the Cardinals’ practice squad after O’Connell got hurt?

Major changes on offense

Minshew will have a say, but it’s predicated on performance.

He has been benched three times this season, the most recent in a 41-24 loss to the Bengals in the game before their bye week.

The miserable performance was the final straw for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, who were fired after the loss.

Scott Turner, previously the pass-game coordinator, replaced Getsy. His father, Norv, one of the most innovative offensive minds in NFL history, will be his assistant. Joe Philbin, a longtime NFL coach, was promoted from senior assistant to offensive line coach to replace Cregg. Scott Turner will assume Scangarello’s role in the quarterback room.

The sweeping changes, coupled with Minshew’s season-long struggles, seemed ripe for a change at quarterback, too.

The Raiders gave serious consideration to switching to Ridder before deciding to give Minshew one more chance. They are counting on the new offensive coaches to unlock the player they signed to a two-year, $25 million contract in March.

“When we brought in Gardner, we expected, obviously, the play that we had seen in the past,” Pierce said.

That clearly hasn’t been the case, even if Minshew isn’t entirely to blame for the 2-7 record. The Raiders can’t run the ball. The defense ranks 31st in points per game. They have been besieged by injuries. And coaches are guilty of game-management gaffes.

But Minshew’s penchant for turnovers — he has thrown eight interceptions and lost four fumbles — and his inability to consistently operate at an average level have contributed to the Raiders’ undoing.

Rather than make him the face of the problem by permanently benching him, Pierce is choosing a more hopeful path. Maybe backing Minshew will serve as a catalyst for positive change.

“At some point, you got to give a guy confidence,” Pierce said.

What happened?

Minshew said he spent the bye week trying to understand why his play has regressed. It included a trip to Lake Tahoe, plenty of soul-searching and a fair amount of self-assessment.

The problems were obvious.

“Too many turnovers,” he said.

The answers are fairly easy, too.

“Taking care of the ball and finding completions,” he said. “That’s where we’ve got to live.”

He’s hoping the new vision provided by the Turners will get him back on track.

“We feel good with the plan we have now,” Minshew said.

Pierce said Minshew will get plenty of support.

“Starts with the staff, starts with myself, starts with belief and letting him know (to) let it go, let it loose,” Pierce said. “And what do we got to lose at this point, right? 2-7. So everything that’s behind us is behind us, and I’m looking forward to everything in front of me.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.