The Las Vegas Raider’ bye week has come and gone as they are now beginning to prepare for their Week 7 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.
Usually Raiders head coach Jon Gruden isn’t a fan of having a bye this early in the season, but he actually believes it was beneficial this year because of how many injured players the team has.
One of those injured players is rookie cornerback Damon Arnette, who was placed on injured reserve due to a thumb injury that was expected to keep him out for at least a month.
It appears that is not the only issue Arnette is dealing with as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network is reporting that he is now being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list:
The #Raiders are placing CB Damon Arnette on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per source.
No other Las Vegas players or personnel tested positive. Arnette, the first-round pick, was already on injured reserve following thumb surgery.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 19, 2020
While Arnette potentially testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) is obviously not good news, it is good that everyone else in the organization came back clean.
Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst was also placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list last week and he also didn’t give the virus to anyone else, which is a sign that the protocols are working.
It also appears that Hurst tested negative and is back on the practice field on Monday, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Maurice Hurst back at practice for @Raiders
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) October 19, 2020
Hopefully Arnette can have a speedy recovery for both his thumb and coronavirus and he can be back on the field as soon as possible.
The return of Hurst will certainly be a welcomed one this week as he has been perhaps the team’s best interior defensive lineman so far this season.
