Perhaps the worst thing to come from the Oakland Raiders‘ loss to the New York Jets is that they could’ve potentially lost Hunter Renfrow for a while because of a broken rib that punctured his lung. There’s no doubt the rookie wide receiver is as tough as they come after playing through the injury, but he definitely needs to take some time off. There aren’t many weeks left in the season, so Renfrow has to heal quickly if he’s going to play again in 2019. Head coach Jon Gruden isn’t ready to rule him out just yet.
“I don’t know,” replied Gruden when asked if Renfrow would play again this season. “Right now we’re listing him as week-to-week. We’re not going to mess around with the rib, lung area. Right now, he won’t play against the Chiefs. I know he wants to play. He feels good, but until we get the green light from the training staff, he won’t play.”
The fact that he’s trying to play against Kansas City while nursing a broken rib is pretty crazy. There’s no doubt the Raiders would like to have him as he’s become one of the team’s most reliable targets. At this point, they need to just hope that he can come back at some point, especially if they can get into the playoffs.
Doctor Says Injury Could Heal in 4 Weeks
Fortunately for the Raiders, it looks like Hunter Renfrow could feasibly be healed within four weeks, per Dr. David J. Chao.
Per @ProFootballDoc… season in question for Renfrow. At least 4 weeks
Being out for four weeks would mean that the rookie could return before the Week 17 game versus the Denver Broncos. That game could end up being very important for the Raiders if they’re in the playoff race. If Oakland is out of it, they should just have Renfrow sit out and just wait until next season to have him play again.
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LaMarcus Joyner Status
Defensive back LaMarcus Joyner has already missed the past two games, but his status is looking better. According to Gruden, Joyner has a chance to play on Sunday.
“Pretty good, we hope to have him back,” replied Gruden when asked about how Joyner’s doing. “Took some turns today and got the gameplan. He’s been out for a couple of weeks now, which has really been a big deal for us… We do think he has a real good chance to play.”
The Raiders defense got eaten alive by the Jets and they certainly could’ve used Joyner. With the team heading to Kansas City to face off against Patrick Mahomes, the pass defense will need all the help they can get. Joyner hasn’t had the best season of his career, but he’s capable of being a difference-maker. Mahomes picked on the Raiders’ secondary in Week 2. The defense has mostly been better since then, but if Sam Darnold can pick them apart, there’s little to suggest that Mahomes won’t. It’ll be interesting to see if anything has changed since the early season matchup.
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Raiders Injury Update: Jon Gruden Provides Outlook for Hunter Renfrow