Raiders, Saints Have No New COVID-19 Positives
Good news out of Las Vegas and New Orleans. There were no new positives for the Raiders and Saints during the latest round of testing, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). This means that both the Raiders-Buccaneers game (which had previously been moved from Sunday night to Sunday afternoon) and the Saints-Panthers game are on track to be played (per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Twitter).
Raiders lineman Trent Brown and cornerback Damon Arnette tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. Players who had been in close contact with that duo, including the entire offensive line (Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson), were sent home from the team facility on Wednesday. These high-risk contacts needed to isolate for five days, but considering they were last in contact with Brown or Arnette on Monday, they could all end up playing on Sunday. Safety Johnathan Abram, who was also sent home, had his last contact on Tuesday, so he won’t be allowed to play this weekend.
We also learned this week that the NFL and NFLPA were investigating the Raiders for COVID-19 compliance. Jarrett Bell of USA Today provided more details on the investigation, noting that the previously reported video “revealed violations of “intensive protocol” measures during practices that included several players not wearing masks or face shields and not adhering to social distancing on the sidelines.” As a result, Bell opines that the Raiders are “seemingly on the verge” of being punished by the league.
In New Orleans, wideout Emmanuel Sanders was placed on the Saints’ reserve/COVID-19 list yesterday. Katherine Terrell of The Athletic tweets that the organization tested about 20 players who had come into contact with Sanders. Cornerback Ken Crawley, who tested negative but was exposed, was also placed on the COVID-19 list.
NFL Moves Raiders-Bucs Game; Raiders Under Investigation For COVID-19 Compliance
2:56pm: The players the Raiders sent home from the team’s facility Wednesday — Abram, Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson — will be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. These players now qualify as high-risk contacts of Brown and will need to isolate for five days. Their last contact with Brown was Monday, however. That would allow these players — barring a positive test — to play Sunday, though it will sideline them from practice this week. Still, this development probably points to the NFL needing to postpone this game to Monday or Tuesday.
One good sign: no new positive tests emerged from Wednesday’s round of testing, Pelissero tweets. But the issues the Patriots and Titans experienced with the coronavirus illustrate the Raiders have not necessarily turned a corner here.
2:36pm: The NFL is preparing to move the Raiders-Buccaneers game off its Sunday slate, it appears. The league announced Thursday it will shift Bucs-Raiders from a primetime slot to 3:05pm CT Sunday. Seahawks-Cardinals will now be Sunday’s primetime game.
Positive COVID-19 tests for Trent Brown and Damon Arnette have put the Raiders’ Sunday status in jeopardy. Additionally, the NFL and NFLPA are investigating the Raiders for COVID-19 compliance, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The league has video of Brown and other Raiders offensive linemen congregating without masks, Pelissero adds, and Brown is not believed to have consistently worn his tracking device. He is now on Las Vegas’ reserve/COVID-19 list, and none of the other Raiders told to isolate — the rest of their starting O-line and safety Johnathan Abram — have returned to practice.
This has obviously clouded Sunday’s game. The Raiders have already had their bye week, giving the NFL another major test in this COVID-19-altered season. Brown is asymptomatic, per Pelissero (video link).
The NFL has shifted a few games around this season, but it has thus far avoided postponing a team’s game after a bye week. Las Vegas’ bye came in Week 6. Were the Raiders to see their Week 7 contest postponed to a later date, the league would run into logistical issues getting that contest scheduled. The rumored Week 18 makeup window remains in play, though the league has been able to avoid serious discussions of implementing it. A Raiders postponement beyond Tuesday would push that issue back to the forefront.
Thursday’s schedule change is not the first time the Raiders have run into COVID-19-related trouble. Jon Gruden was issued a six-figure fine for mask violations in September, and Darren Waller‘s charity event last month featured Raiders seen without masks. For now, the league expects Bucs-Raiders to take place in a lower-profile time slot Sunday. But the schedule change makes it easier for another postponement to commence.
Raiders Place Trent Brown On Reserve/COVID-19 List
Ahead of a nationally televised game against the Buccaneers, the Raiders are set to be without their Pro Bowl right tackle. They placed Trent Brown on their reserve/COVID-19 list, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Per the NFL’s new coronavirus protocols, Brown must isolate for five days. That will shelve him for Sunday night’s game. Brown had just returned from an injury that caused him to miss almost all of Las Vegas’ first four games. He came back in Week 5 to help the team to a key upset in Kansas City.
Because of contract tracing, the Raiders will use a strange collection of offensive linemen in practice for the time being. They sent home the rest of their current entire first-string offensive line — Kolton Miller, Denzelle Good, Rodney Hudson and Gabe Jackson — after the Brown news. Jon Gruden hopes this quartet can return by Thursday, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Having not been placed on the COVID list, the other Raiders first-string blockers would be able to do so. These players’ last contact with Brown came Monday, per the Washington Post’s Mark Maske (on Twitter). Even if they are deemed high-risk close contacts, they would be able to play Sunday — so long as they do not test positive.
The Raiders also sent starting safety Johnathan Abram home, Gutierrez tweets. They used Sam Young, Patrick Omameh, Andre James, rookie John Simpson and former second-round pick Brandon Parker as their first-string O-line in practice Wednesday. Brown, who signed a then-record tackle contract with the Raiders in March 2019, also missed five games last season but became the rare right tackle Pro Bowl selection.
The Brown news comes a day after the Raiders placed cornerback Damon Arnette on their reserve/COVID-19 list. Individuals do not need to test positive to land on this list, only to be in close contact with someone who has. The upcoming rounds of tests will be critical for the Raiders and the NFL.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/21/20
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DL Walter Palmore
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Ben Braden
Las Vegas Raiders
- Reinstated from practice squad IR: WR Marcell Ateman
- Released: WR De’Mornay Pierson-El
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: TE Daniel Helm
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR John Hurst
Raiders Activate Marcus Mariota From IR
Marcus Mariota is back on the Raiders’ active roster. The Raiders activated the former Heisman Trophy winner from IR on Tuesday, and he will resume his backup role in Week 7.
Derek Carr is coming off one of his best games as a pro, when he led the Raiders to a 40-32 upset win over the Chiefs. While Mariota was given a lucrative QB2 deal in March, he no longer looks like a threat to take over for Carr. But this will certainly help Las Vegas’ depth.
The former No. 2 overall pick landed on the Raiders’ IR list prior to Week 1 because of a strained pectoral muscle. Mariota has battled injuries since his Christmas Eve 2016 leg break — the same day as Carr’s — and saw his starter status end when the Titans demoted him for Ryan Tannehill last year. But the longtime Tennessee starter will begin backing up Carr this weekend; the team hosts the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
The Raiders gave Mariota a two-year, $17.6MM deal to back up Carr and likely push the six-year incumbent. But Carr has made incremental strides under Jon Gruden, despite constant rumors of these parties separating. He ranked 10th in QBR last season, leads the NFL with a 73.1% completion rate and has an 11-1 TD-INT ratio. Carr threw for 347 yards and added three touchdown passes against the Chiefs.
Raiders To Sign DL David Irving
David Irving is indeed headed to Las Vegas. The Raiders are signing the recently reinstated defensive lineman, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
This came together pretty quickly, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there had been some communication between these sides for a while as Irving waited for the go-ahead from the league office. The reinstatement from Roger Goodell came on October 16th, and on the 17th we heard the Raiders were hosting him on a visit. Irving’s young career has already seen him suspended four times, thrice for substance abuse policy violations and once for PEDs.
His most recent ban was an indefinite one that ended up lasting over 18 months. An UDFA out of Iowa State in 2015, Irving has only appeared in two games since the 2017 season, but he showed plenty of flashes early on with the Cowboys. In only eight games with Dallas in 2017, he racked up seven sacks and six passes defended.
After hist most recent suspension Irving originally announced he was retiring in March of 2019, in part due to the league’s marijuana policy. After sitting out last season he had a change of heart, and announced back in February that he was hoping for a return. It took about eight months for him to get approval from Goodell, and now he’ll join a Raiders team looking to make a push in the AFC.
Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was Irving’s defensive coordinator in Dallas, which helps explain the connection. It’s anyone’s guess as to what Irving will look like or how soon he’ll be in game shape, but it’s a nice low-risk flyer for a team in need of pass-rushing help.
Raiders Place CB Damon Arnette On Reserve/COVID-19 List
Hopefully this isn’t the start of something significant in Las Vegas. The Raiders have placed cornerback Damon Arnette on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The new rules dictate that a player doesn’t need to have tested positive to be placed on the list, so this doesn’t mean Arnette is COVID positive. He could also have come in close proximity to someone who tested positive, but we don’t know as of right now. The first-round rookie has already been on injured reserve since October 3rd with a thumb issue.
Arnette is expected to be sidelined at least a few more weeks with the thumb injury anyway, so this most likely won’t effect his return to the field. A couple of weeks ago Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst was placed on the list as well.
Arnette, the 19th overall pick of April’s draft, had started all three games before going down. Here’s to hoping this is an isolated incident and not a sign of things to come within the Raiders’ building.
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
As shown by Le’Veon Bell‘s recent deal with the Chiefs, big name free agents can come available at any point throughout the season. His contract wasn’t particularly pricey, but teams like to keep cash on hand during the year, especially when mulling potential trades before the deadline. Excess cap room can also be rolled over from year-to-year and give clubs the opportunity to lock up their most valuable players with extensions.
Here are the most recent figures for each team, via Over The Cap:
- Cleveland Browns – $33.1MM
- New York Jets – $27.9MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $23.9MM
- Washington Football Team – $23.6MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars– $22.9MM
- New England Patriots – $22.9MM
- Denver Broncos – $19.7MM
- Detroit Lions – $17MM
- Philadelphia Eagles– $18MM
- Miami Dolphins – $15.8MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $10.4MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $9.6MM
- Cincinnati Bengals– $9MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $9MM
- Arizona Cardinals– $8.9MM
- Chicago Bears – $8.4MM
- Tennessee Titans – $8.3MM
- Houston Texans – $8.1MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $8MM
- New Orleans Saints – $8MM
- Green Bay Packers – $7.7MM
- New York Giants – $7.2MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $7MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $6.3MM
- Carolina Panthers – $6.2MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $5.8MM
- Buffalo Bills – $5MM
- San Francisco 49ers – $4MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $4MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $2MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $1.4MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $158K
Raiders Hosting DL David Irving On Visit
A day after the NFL conditionally reinstated defensive lineman David Irving, he booked a visit. The Raiders are hosting the former Cowboys pass rusher, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The conditional reinstatement — after an 18-plus-month suspension — allows Irving to make free agent visits. He is not yet eligible to play, however. Still, the Raiders will take a look at the once-productive Cowboys D-lineman.
Irving has been suspended four times over the course of his four-year career. Substance-abuse policy violations resulted in three of those bans; a positive PED test triggered the other penalty. After a stay on the Chiefs’ practice squad, Irving played four seasons with the Cowboys. His most recent season (2018) included just two games and ended with an injury and a leave of absence.
Prior to Irving’s March 2019 suspension, the Cowboys were not planning to re-sign him. Irving said shortly after he was done with football, but he has worked his way back to conditional reinstatement.
The Raiders hired former Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli this offseason. Marinelli works as Las Vegas’ defensive line coach. He coached Irving in each of the pass rusher’s four seasons in Dallas. Irving mostly operated as a depth player in Dallas, with suspensions preventing him from being a steady performer. That said, he did register seven sacks in eight regular-season games (all starts) for the 2017 Cowboys. Irving, 27, has flashed as both an interior and edge rusher and may be set to receive another opportunity soon.
Carl Nassib Suffers Broken Big Toe
- The Raiders are also going to be without a rotational defender for a bit. Carl Nassib suffered a broken toe during the team’s win over the Chiefs, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). It is, in fact, a big toe injury. The former Browns and Buccaneers pass rusher will likely be out a while, though a concrete timetable does not exist yet. An offseason addition, Nassib has played just more than a fourth of Las Vegas’ defensive snaps this season.