The Las Vegas Raiders have suffered a number of setbacks due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) to begin the 2020 NFL season. It finally came to a head in Week 7 and resulted in the absence of tackle Trent Brown during the team’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite having an extra week of rest and preparation, the bye quickly turned south after the team was forced to send home the whole offensive line last week due to Brown’s positive test results. Meanwhile, head coach Jon Gruden acknowledged that the prospect of guard Richie Incognito’s looming return against the Cleveland Browns is far-fetched at this point.
Fortunately, Gruden was much more optimistic about Brown being back in the mix in Week 8. His only concern is whether or not his conditioning will be up to par after dealing with coronavirus and its effects.
It appears that was not the case though, as Brown is among the Raiders’ inactives for Week 8:
The following players are inactive for #LVvsCLE pic.twitter.com/WwYfO5DVde
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 1, 2020
Brown has had some trouble staying healthy so far in the 2020 campaign having played only one full game. As a result, he has failed to provide the team with much bang for their buck as the highest-paid player in Las Vegas.
The team has great missed his absence, particularly last week when Derek Carr was sacked three times while Josh Jacobs was limited to just 17 yards on 10 carries.
Carr has been open about the team’s plans to usher in the deep ball as a consistent part of their approach on offense. Of course, the only way to do this effectively is by ensuring that he has enough time to find his target downfield and this starts up front.
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is expected to play this week despite battling an ankle injury. While he certainly presents a major challenge for Brown and the rest of the offensive line, the Browns as a whole are 20th in the league in sacks (38.0).
