Getty Derek Carr & Hunter Renfrow with Derek Carr.
It didn’t look like the Las Vegas Raiders‘ season could get any worse following the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars but that wasn’t the case. The hits just keep on coming for the team. Star tight end Darren Waller hasn’t played since Week 5 due to a hamstring injury. He’s tried to play in recent weeks but just hasn’t been healthy enough to suit up.
Instead of trying to go again this week, the Raiders have made a drastic decision with the tight end. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Waller has been placed on the Injured Reserve.
Raiders are placing TE Darren Waller on injured reserve, per source. Waller aggravated his hamstring injury and the team believes this will give him four weeks to get it healthy and come back to finish the season.
This will keep Waller out for at least the next four weeks. That should be enough time to recover but the hamstrings are so unpredictable. If the Raiders are completely out of the playoff race in four weeks, there’s no reason to put him back on the field unless he really wants to. Regardless, it’s been a disappointing year for the tight end after the team gave him a $51 million contract extension in the offseason. He was the subject of trade rumors recently so the Raiders might be motivated to get him back on the field to try and increase his value.
Hunter Renfrow Also Sent IR
The bad news didn’t end with Waller. Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow missed two games earlier in the season with a concussion but has been good to go in recent weeks. However, he must have suffered a new injury against the Jaguars.
The Raiders are also placing Renfrow on the Injured Reserve.
And one more: Raiders also are placing WR Hunter Renfrow on injured reserve due to his oblique injury, per source. So on the same day, both Renfrow and Darren Waller both are being placed on IR, meaning they’re out at least four games each.
This move is much more surprising than the move to place Waller on Injured Reserve. Renfrow has been banged up this season but didn’t appear to suffer anything too serious. Similar to Waller, he’s been having a lackluster season following the team giving him a big contract extension. He could still come back at a point this season but the Raiders may be cautious if things get out of hand. There’s no way he’ll be able to salvage a disappointing year.
Waller Frustrated With Injury Issues
Waller has been working hard to get back on the field and wants to play. There’s a reason the Raiders didn’t put him on the Injured Reserve until right now. Many fans have questioned Waller amid the injury issues but he made it clear recently that he’s really trying to play.
“It’s not like I’m doing anything to keep myself off the field willingly,” Waller told ESPN.com. “I’m doing everything that I can. It just may not be happening in the timetable that I’d like for that to happen. So I’m just extending that grace and that patience to myself because I really am trying my best to be healthy and go about my processes and my routines like I have in the past.”
With Waller and Renfrow out for at least four games, the season is effectively over for the Raiders. It’s hard to fathom they can go on a run and make the playoffs. It might be the right call to start sitting some top players who are hurt. The team has a lot of holes and a high draft pick would certainly help fill some of those.