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Josh McDaniels has taken a lot of hits for the Las Vegas Raiders having a bad season but there’s also the fact that they’ve dealt with a litany of injuries. Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller have missed large portions of the season and they’ve missed some starters on defense. Starting cornerback Anthony Averett was placed on. Injured Reserve after Week 1 but was able to return.
Unfortunately for the veteran cornerback, his return was short-lived. The Raiders announced that Averett is headed back to the Injured Reserve with an injured toe.
Averett will be eligible to return again in four weeks but it remains to be seen if the team will bring him back. He was one of the key free agent additions to the defense but hasn’t played well. He’s currently Pro Football Focus‘ 98th-ranked cornerback. He was only handed a one-year deal by the Raiders in the offseason so it’s possible he’s played his last snap in silver and black.
However, the team is on a two-game winning streak and has some winnable games coming up. It’s possible the Raiders might want him back for a late-season charge. That’s a long shot but they’ll keep the door open on him returning as long as they still have a mathematical chance at the playoffs.
Raiders Sign Tyler Hall to Active Roster
With Averett set to miss at least the next four weeks, the Raiders needed to add a cornerback. Luckily, they already had a solid option in-house. The team signed former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Tyler Hall to the practice squad in October. He’s played the last two games for the Raiders, including getting starting nod against the Seattle Seahawks.
Las Vegas decided to promote him to the active roster. Though he’s only played in two games, he’s one of the few Raiders who have gotten a full sack on the season when he took down Russell Wilson on a blitz in Week 11. The team clearly likes what he’s shown them in recent weeks. He’s only 24 and could be a good piece to keep around going forward to see if he can keep developing.
Nate Hobbs Close to Returning
While the Raiders got bad news with Averett, they could be having good news with Nate Hobbs soon. He’s been the team’s best cornerback this season but recently was on Injured Reserve. The team designated him to return last week but couldn’t play against the Seahawks due to an illness, according to head coach Josh McDaniels.
“Hopefully we get over a little illness,” McDaniels said Monday. “So, we’ll see how it goes. I think we’re kind of in the wait-and-see mode just to see how he’s feeling and how today goes. And then I don’t want to say hopeful or not hopeful, but the reality is, is if we feel like he’s ready to go and able to perform at the level we want him to and he wants to, then I think we’re getting close, like I said.”
It sounds like Hobbs will be back on the field soon. The Raiders have a must-win game at home against the Los Angeles Chargers this week. Having Hobbs would go a long way in helping the team win.
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