Karl Joseph To Return For Playoffs
- Raiders safety Karl Joseph says he’ll play in Saturday’s wild-card matchup in Houston, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets. The rookie missed the last four games of the regular season, and his return is big for Oakland with Nate Allen in the concussion protocol.
Raiders To Start QB Connor Cook
It’s official. The Raiders will be starting Connor Cook at quarterback when they face the Texans this weekend, coach Jack Del Rio announced. 
The Raiders were hoping to have Matt McGloin under center, but as expected, he will not be able to go on Saturday. Already without Derek Carr, the Raiders are down to their No. 3 QB, a rookie out of Michigan State. The fourth-round pick has talent, but he is not completely polished and this could be too much, too soon for the youngster.
Some said that Cook dropped in the 2016 draft due to concerns about his attitude and leadership abilities, but Del Rio praised Cook’s character in the offseason.
“I think he’s been outstanding,” Del Rio said. “He comes in, had a tremendous career and is very humble. Obviously he is intelligent. He asks good questions. He’s got arm talent. It’s a matter of getting familiar [with] what we do and how we do it. . . I think he’s off to a great start.”
The Raiders, of course, aren’t the only playoff team with QB troubles. The Texans are starting Brock Osweiler after Tom Savage suffered a concussion. The Dolphins could also be without Ryan Tannehill this weekend.
Raiders Sign Garrett Gilbert To Practice Squad
In advance of their first playoff game in 14 years, the banged-up Raiders have announced the signing of quarterback Garrett Gilbert to their practice squad.
In December, the Raiders watched star Derek Carr go down with a season-ending leg injury. Then, on Sunday, Matt McGloin suffered an injury to his left shoulder. Connor Cook, the Raiders’ fourth-round draft pick out of Michigan State, took over from there. If McGloin cannot go Saturday against Houston, Cook will get the start. In that event, it could be Gilbert holding the clipboard.
Gilbert, a product of SMU, was a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2014. When he didn’t hook on there, he made the NFL rounds including practice squad stops with the Raiders, Lions, and Patriots. He has never appeared in an NFL game.
If McGloin can’t play on Saturday, Cook will be the first quarterback to start a playoff game without starting a regular season game in the modern era.
Raiders Expected To Start Connor Cook
- The Raiders are going forward with the expectation that quarterback Connor Cook starts against the Texans, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Matt McGloin is not believed to be ready for this weekend’s playoff game. If McGloin cannot go, it sounds like Oakland will have quarterback Garrett Gilbert on the active roster as the backup.
- The Raiders worked out seven players Monday including running back LaMichael James, but no quarterbacks (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com). defensive end Alex Bazzie, linebacker Brandon Hepburn, safety Dion Bailey, and cornerback Greg Ducre also auditioned, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Raiders Sign Two To Reserve/Futures Contracts
Here are today’s reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2017 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters.
Baltimore Ravens
- WR Kenny Bell
- OL Jarell Broxton
- RB Stephen Houston
- OL Jarrod Pughsley
- OL Matt Skura
- QB Dustin Vaughan
Carolina Panthers
- T Blaine Clausell
- DT Eric Crume
- WR Keyarris Garrett
- CB Tyler Patmon
- RB Jalen Simmons
- TE Scott Simonson
- T Pearce Slater
- T Tyrus Thompson
- TE Eric Wallace
NFL Won’t Reinstate Raiders LB Aldon Smith
The NFL will not be reinstating Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith this season, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The commissioner will revisit the case on March 15, 2017. 
Smith was suspended in November 2015 and has been eligible to return for several weeks now. His camp was pushing Roger Goodell to reach a decision on the matter, but for one reason or another, the league office will table things until the early part of the 2017 league year. Meanwhile, Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory is playing as he appeals his one-year suspension from the league. The two situations are not exactly identical, but the disparity does not sit well with many fans.
Smith has had multiple run-ins with the league’s substance abuse policy and his latest slip-up led to him spending roughly four months in a rehab clinic. Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie indicated in October that Smith’s issues are under control after treatment. Of course, there are two sides to every story and it is possible that Smith has not fulfilled all of the prerequisites for reinstatement.
The Raiders have secured their spot in the playoffs, but they’ll have to forge ahead without the services of Smith or quarterback Derek Carr. On the plus side, they can clinch the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed this weekend if they beat the Broncos and the Patriots fall to the Dolphins.
Per the terms of the two-year extension signed with Oakland in April 2016, Smith is under contract with the Raiders through 2017.
Latest On Raiders’ QB Situation
The Raiders suffered one of the most crushing injuries a playoff team has ever seen when Derek Carr went down with a broken leg during Week 16, yet they still have a chance at claiming the AFC’s No. 1 seed.
Oakland did not work out any quarterbacks today, preferring to go with Matt McGloin and rookie Connor Cook for now, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Carr will undergo surgery on Tuesday in Los Angeles, and Schefter tweets the recovery time should be around six to eight weeks. The ESPN.com reporter added (via Twitter) this will be the first instance of a quarterback winning 12 regular-season games and not starting in the team’s first playoff contest since the NFL began the playoff format in 1933. The league began playing 14-game regular seasons in 1961 and moved to 16 in 1978.
A fourth-year pro, McGloin has not started a game since the 2013 season, when he went 1-5 and completed 55 percent of his throws for a much worse Raiders team. The 27-year-old backup — to whom the Raiders extended a second-round RFA tender this offseason — has thrown just 55 passes in the past three years. Cook has been the Raiders’ No. 3 quarterback all season.
Carr, who will enter a contract year in 2017 if he’s not signed to the extension the team is prioritizing, was pondering a miraculous return if the Raiders were to advance to Super Bowl LI behind McGloin. However, Carr’s chances of returning this season are incredibly slim, CSNBayArea.com’s Scott Bair writes.
“He started doing the math in his head, and he said ‘That’s Super Bowl week,'” NFL.com’s David Carr said, via Bair. “As a fan, I’m thinking, do the Raiders have a chance without him? For him, Derek feels so much love for this team, and he really thinks they can go out and [reach the Super Bowl].”
Coupled with the injury issue, the Raiders would have to advance to the league’s February game without the services of a player who was an MVP candidate — and do so potentially without a first-round bye. Oakland winning or Kansas City losing gives the Raiders a bye, but the now-eliminated Broncos beating their division rivals in Denver and the Chiefs topping a reeling Chargers team would send the Raiders to the No. 5 line in the AFC bracket. Illustrating the fluidity of the Raiders’ standing, they can earn the No. 1 seed with a win and a Patriots loss in Miami, which occurred in Week 17 of last season.
Derek Carr Won't Have Surgery On Xmas
- Although the Raiders wanted quarterback Derek Carr to undergo surgery for his broken fibula today, that operation was unlikely to take place on Christmas Day because Oakland wants to use the best surgeons available, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Most of those doctors were likely occupied due to the holiday, so the Raiders want to wait and secure the best crew before putting Carr under the knife. However, the operation will apparently take place in the very near future. Any chance Carr has of returning for a postseason run would clearly be aided by quick surgery and recovery.
Reggie Nelson Triggers Incentive
- By intercepting his fifth pass of the season today, Raiders safety Reggie Nelson earned a $250K incentive bonus, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In the first season of a two-year contract with Oakland, Nelson made the Pro Bowl for a second straight year and now has 13 INTs in the past two seasons.
Raiders QB Derek Carr Has Broken Fibula
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio announced that Derek Carr has suffered a broken fibula. There is no timetable for Carr’s return, but he’ll undergo surgery tomorrow. Del Rio said that he is out “indefinitely” and did not formally rule him out for the year, but it’s hard to imagine Carr making a postseason return. 
Carr went down in the fourth quarter of today’s game against the Colts after taking a sack. He grabbed his leg, screamed out, and motioned for team trainers. Instantly, it was clear that Carr had suffered a serious injury. Now we know the extent of the damage and it’s a crushing blow to a Raiders team that seemed poised for playoff success.
With Carr under center, the Raiders have clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2002. They are 12-3 after today’s win over the Colts, but that’s little consolation for Oakland fans as they prepare to move ahead without their star QB. They will now start Matt McGloin with rookie Connor Cook behind him. The team may opt to add a third healthy QB in the coming days.
Carr has 25 touchdowns against six interceptions on the year, making him Pro Football Focus’ No. 7 ranked QB in the league heading into today’s games.