Raiders report: Receiver misses practice; Saturday status uncertain

Davante Adams and coach Antonio Pierce offered differing opinions this week about whether the star receiver would play in Saturday’s preseason game.

Adams said he’s used to sitting out in the preseason and would prefer not to play against the Cowboys on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.

“If we practice the right way, we go about it and get on the same page with the quarterbacks, obviously a few reps could help,” Adams said Tuesday. “But just based off the risk, it’s not on my mind as something I’m looking forward to. I look forward to the (preseason) games to watch the guys go at it and watch the team get better and all the things that go into that

“But if I’m choosing, I’m not playing.”

Pierce offered a simple rebuttal Wednesday.

“If you’re healthy, you’ll play,” the coach said in response to whether any veterans would be rested.

When the team took the field Thursday for its first indoor practice of training camp at the team facility, Adams was on the sideline in street clothes.

The non-participation in the final practice was believed to be just a rest day, a perk also enjoyed by veteran offensive linemen Andrus Peat and Cody Whitehair, but it certainly opens the door for Adams to sit out Saturday’s game as well.

Projected starting right tackle Thayer Munford was back on the practice field after missing Wednesday’s session because of a finger injury.

Calming it down

Thursday’s practice moving indoors and out of the heat did not prevent tensions from flaring.

A bit of a skirmish, by far the most intense of camp thus far, broke out late in the session.

After a couple of plays that saw them going at each other right up to and perhaps even after the whistle, starting linebacker Robert Spillane and undrafted rookie offensive lineman Will Putnam mixed it up.

Offensive and defensive players joined the fray, but star defensive end Maxx Crosby appeared to be the most fired up, as he threw multiple punches before ripping off Putnam’s helmet and tossing it downfield.

As players were separated, the music changed dramatically from the customary hip-hop soundtrack to the theme song from Rocky, followed by “We Are Family.”

Then the mood got toned down even more as the music switched again to a variety of children’s soundtracks from “Barney” to “Sesame Street,” “Dora the Explorer” and “Baby Shark.”

Settling in

Wide receiver Jalen Guyton is enjoying getting up to speed with a new offense now that he is back on the field after missing much of training camp.

He’s also having a good time seeing the other side of a rivalry he has experienced since entering the league.

Guyton was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019 and spent his first five seasons there before signing with the Raiders this offseason.

“It’s fun because I’ve had a competitive relationship with a lot of the guys on defense, so coming over with that history has been great,” he said. “It’s nice to see how they do things on the other side of the field and see how it all goes down over here after so many years of competition.”

It was the rabid fan bases he thought might give him more grief, but so far that relationship has been solid.

“It’s all good,” he said. “The Chargers fans haven’t had any bad blood. Raiders fans either, except for a few that just joked they were glad I wouldn’t be hurting them anymore. But it’s a lot of love. The fans are great on both sides.”

Guyton hoped to make a big impact during training camp in Costa Mesa, California, on the same field the Chargers used to hold their camps, but he missed the first two weeks with a hamstring injury.

That did give him time to hit the books and the film room a bit harder as he worked to get up to speed on a new offense.

“Now it’s just about trying to fit in wherever they need me,” said Guyton, who has 71 career catches and seven touchdowns.

It’s almost full steam ahead for Guyton in his efforts to secure a roster spot, though he’s not quite able to show his new team his full arsenal just yet.

“I’m close, but I’m not there yet,” he said. “I keep telling my family and people around me that I’m just not quite where I want to be. But I feel in great shape, and I just keep getting better and more comfortable.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.