Getty Oakland Raiders WR Antonio Brown.
Small injuries are bound to happen throughout training camp. Luckily for the Oakland Raiders, they haven’t had any players get seriously hurt. Though, they have had a good amount of players miss time with minor dings. With a move to Las Vegas coming in 2020, the team is entering an important season. Not only are they saying goodbye to Oakland, their longtime home, they’ll also need to win over new fans once the move is complete. Nothing brings on new fans better than winning. For the Raiders to be successful in 2019, they’ll need to stay healthy. Below is a list of the players that are currently missing practice.
Offense: Antonio Brown, Paul Butler, Keith Smith
The biggest named player that has been noticeably absent is Antonio Brown. The Raiders made big news when they traded for Brown earlier in the offseason. He’s simply one of the best players in the NFL. While his injury wasn’t clear at first, it’s come to light that he’s been dealing with a foot injury. It wasn’t considered to be very serious, but recent news broke that he’s going to be consulting a foot specialist. Now, it’s not time to panic yet as Dr. David J. Chao has stated, but it definitely a situation worth monitoring. Based on a picture that Brown posted on Instagram, his feet look really beat up. Hopefully, his consulting of a specialist is just a case of the team being careful. Brown doesn’t have an extensive injury history and hasn’t missed many games in his career.
Keith Smith’s injury has been known for a little while now, but he seems to be working his way back. He’s recovering from meniscus surgery and is coming along nicely. He could be back on the practice field in a couple of weeks. Rookie Alec Ingold has come on strong in his absence. Paul Butler, another tight end, is also nursing an injury that kept him out of Saturday’s practice. He’s been out since he got hurt at Thursday’s practice. He’ll need to get back on the field soon if he’s going to get a roster spot. All things considered, the offense is pretty fortunate to this point.
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Defense: Eddie Vanderdoes, Quinton Bell, Gabe Wright
You got to feel for Eddie Vanderdoes. He’s really been hit hard by the injury bug throughout his NFL career. He also missed significant time while in college due to injury and that’s why he fell to the third round when the Raiders drafted him. It’s unfortunate because he is a talented player when healthy. The team has a lot of young talent that plays his position. He’s really going to have to get healthy if he’s going to make the team. Jon Gruden likes him, but the team can’t invest in him if he’s never going to play. He’s been said to be suffering from concussion symptoms. While a concussion is never a good thing, at least it’s not a lower-body injury, which is what he’s suffered from in the past. If it truly is just concussion symptoms ailing him, he could be back soon.
Rookie Quinton Bell has been out since he suffered an undisclosed injury at Tuesday’s practice. Fortunately, Gruden has stated that the injury wasn’t as bad as initially thought and he’ll be back very soon. Being a seventh-round pick, Bell’s spot on the roster is not a lock. He’s a very raw player, so he’ll need lots of reps in training camp to prove himself. The last player that was absent at Saturday’s practice was defensive tackle Gabe Wright. Same as Bell, Wright got hurt at Tuesday’s practice with a right knee injury. He had to be helped off the field. Though scary at first, the injury shouldn’t keep him out long. He’s another player that will need to get back soon if he’s going to keep his spot on the roster.
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