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The Las Vegas Raiders have been hit with some brutal injury news lately but it’s not all bad. The team announced on Wednesday that backup quarterback Marcus Mariota is back on the team after a stint on the short-term injured reserve. To make room for Mariota, the team has released DeShone Kizer from the practice squad.
Kizer originally signed last year but was cut this offseason. The team brought him back after Mariota went to the IR. This year, he’s only been on the practice squad while Nathan Peterman has served as the backup. With Mariota back, there’s no reason to keep four quarterbacks on the roster. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders decide to demote Peterman so they can open up an additional roster spot. It’s unfortunate for Kizer to get cut again but Las Vegas clearly likes him. He’ll have a good shot to find a spot on the roster should another injury occur.
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Will Mariota Suit up for Sunday?
After a tad over three weeks off, Mariota returned to practice on Wednesday. While it’s always a good sign when players get healthy, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll be available on Sunday. Head coach Jon Gruden recently addressed Mariota’s status.
“Marcus is close. There’s another guy that’s missed a lot of time, had a freak injury and they tell me there’s a good chance we can bring him back to see where he is,” Gruden said.
Now, before people start getting the idea in their head that Mariota will take Derek Carr’s job at some point, it’s simply not going to happen. He struggled greatly in training camp and there’s little evidence to suggest he’s the better quarterback of the two. However, things could get interesting with Mariota. General manager Mike Mayock recently said that Mariota “brings a little different dynamic to the table.” When pressed on what he meant by that, Mayock didn’t give much insight.
It’s doubtful they have plans for him to start or anything but it could mean the Raiders do have some kind of plan for Mariota. It’s no secret that the quarterback is one of the more athletic players at the position. Perhaps Jon Gruden has plans to turn Mariota into his own Taysom Hill. That would certainly be interesting and would make sense. The Raiders are paying him a good chunk of money and just having him sit behind a quarterback who rarely gets hurt seems like a waste.
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Raiders Bring Back De’Mornay Pierson-El Once Again
In other news, the Raiders also announced that they’ve re-signed wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El. Pierson-El has now been on and off the roster many times. He briefly spent time in the XFL earlier in the year but was brought back by the Raiders for training camp. He didn’t make the team but it seems like Gruden or Mayock has his number on speed dial.
Pierson-El was on the practice squad last year so he should feel right at home with this group of guys.
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