Although the timing of the bye week could not have been more ideal for the recovery of the Las Vegas Raiders, it appears they instead suffered some major setbacks during the extra time off.
The Raiders went into the break having secured their most impressive win of the 2020 NFL season by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. While Jon Gruden is never one to relish in an inconvenient bye week, he acknowledged that this one was much-needed.
Unfortunately, things turned south real quick heading into their Week 7 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It seems the team is now in danger of being severely shorthanded for their primetime showdown on Sunday Night Football.
According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders sent the entire starting offensive line home due to concerns over coronavirus (COVID-19) contact tracing after tackle Trent Brown was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list due to a positive test:
Raiders sent all five starting offense linemen home today. Trent Brown is going on the COVID-19 list and Jon Gruden is concerned about contract tracing since they have been around Brown recently. Their status for Sunday is unknown, he said.
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 21, 2020
Safety Johnathan Abram was also sent home due to COVID-19 tracing protocols. https://t.co/ohLzNlbaBQ
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) October 21, 2020
All of those players were also absent from practice on Thursday morning, via Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Can confirm that @Raiders will be without entire starting offensive line and safety Johnathan Abram for the second consecutive day as a result of COVID-19 contact tracing protocols relating to Trent Brown situation. Story coming soon.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) October 22, 2020
Given the team’s track record in dealing with the coronavirus this season, it is evident that they are taking the necessary precautions in order to prevent a potential outbreak in the locker room. Regardless, it still leaves them with plenty of questions heading into Week 7.
Left tackle Kolton Miller, left guard Denzelle Good, center Rodney Hudson and right guard Gabe Jackson are each waiting to determine if they will be good to go against the Buccaneers. With guard Richie Incognito still on injured reserve with an Achilles injury, the onus will fall on the other linemen on the active roster to step up. This group includes Patrick Omameh, John Simpson, Andre James, Brandon Parker and Sam Young while Jaryd Jones-Smith, Erik Magnuson and Kamaal Seymour remain on the practice squad.
There is no question that the prospect of Las Vegas being this undermanned versus a star-studded team like Tampa Bay certainly deals a crushing blow. The team is doing what they can to work with the NFL in order to take care of the situation, however, the timing indicates that they are in danger of playing the next game with a backup offensive line.
Meanwhile, the potential absence of Abram could also leave a notable void for the Raiders to fill in the secondary. Fortunately, veteran safety Jeff Heath should be able to offer up some stability over the top in his place should he be sidelined.
The Raiders still have a few days to get negative tests back, so the hope remains that they will have their starting offensive line, likely minus Brown, for Sunday’s game.
Rookie cornerback Damon Arnette was also recently placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, so contact tracing is extremely important right now to control a potential outbreak.
