Although the Oakland Raiders managed to secure yet another clutch win in Week 10, their secondary has taken a few hits starting with safety Lamarcus Joyner on Thursday.
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was admittedly concerned with the significant hamstring injury Joyner suffered in the 26-24 win over the Chargers on primetime. To make matters worse, the Raiders have already had to place safety Karl Joseph on injured reserve and ruled him out for the rest of the 2019 NFL season.
The timing of the injuries could not be any worse with Oakland on track to compete for a spot in the playoffs. Fortunately, it seems they are still holding out hope for Joyner.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Monday morning that the issue is not season-ending:
Despite Jon Gruden saying he was concerned about S Lamarcus Joyner's injury from TNF, I'm told the issue is not considered season-ending. Still unclear how much time he'll miss, but he should be available for the playoff run.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 11, 2019
Gruden then confirmed at practice on Monday that Joyner is considered week-to-week with a hamstring injury, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
Joyner pulled a hamstring. Week to week, as we said. Next man up is Lawson.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 11, 2019
While it is encouraging to see that Joyner’s injury is not season-ending, Gruden’s comments do not indicate any timetable for his return. As a result, it is safe to say that he will likely miss at least a game or two before returning.
The absence of not one, but both starting safeties undoubtedly deal a significant blow to this defense. Oakland made quite the investment when they signed Joyner to a four-year, $42 million this offseason and he became an integral part in helping to establish the aggressive identity of this group.
Oakland has two of the easier games on their schedule coming up as they will play the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets the next two weeks before their big showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs that could decide the AFC West.
The onus will now fall on their depth to step up and fill the void while Joyner continues to recover. Safety Erik Harris was able to make quite a strong case for himself to see an increase in playing time moving forward by picking off quarterback Philip Rivers on both of the Chargers’ opening drives and essentially putting the first 10 points on the board for the Raiders.
Some of the other backups that could see an increase in playing time at safety also include Nevin Lawson, Curtis Riley, D.J. Swearinger, and potentially Dallin Leavitt. Regardless, there is no question that opposing teams have taken note of the recent rash of injuries in Oakland and could be looking to test them over the top in the coming weeks.
