The Las Vegas Raiders have been without their star right tackle Trent Brown for the entirety of training camp for reasons that were never disclosed by the team. Whatever rumors had been swirling have been put to rest as Brown made his first appearance of the summer during Wednesday’s practice.
Prior to last season, Brown signed a four-year, $66 million deal to protect Derek Carr. This was a pressing need for the team once Carr struggled following his return from injury.
Brown finally returned to the team Wednesday, still without any indication of why he was out in the first place, via the Raiders’ official Twitter:
Locked in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/Ish9IgLnm6
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 26, 2020
Carr was one of the first to comment on Brown’s return, and he certainly seemed excited to have a huge part of the Raiders offensive line back on the job, via Carr’s Twitter:
He's back 🙂 https://t.co/JeamvZSrPM
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) August 26, 2020
This season, Brown will make over $16 million from the Raiders, and given that he never officially opted out, his absence was a major point of concern. However, head coach Jon Gruden ensured that it was not injury related and that Brown would make his return eventually.
With under three weeks until the Raiders season opener against the Carolina Panthers, Brown should have just enough time to ease into his full-time role before the beginning of the season. The Raiders will certainly be happy to have his 6’8″, 360-lb frame back in the picture.
Sam Young getting extended opportunities with Brown missing practices
With Brown being absent from training camp for a long period of time, his backup Sam Young started to see an increased role with the team. The Raiders signed Young to a one-year contract during the offseason as insurance.
Young is a 10-year NFL vet and, at 33 years of age, has plenty of NFL experience.
