Bryan Edwards expected to be sidelined for Raiders on Sunday
Raiders rookie wide receiver Bryan Edwards will probably be out Sunday against the Buffalo Bills with an ankle injury, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
Edwards injured the ankle against the New England Patriots last Sunday. While he returned to the game, he was obviously hobbled. Edwards has five catches for 99 yards through three games.
The latest injury further depletes the Raiders’ wide receiver corps, which was already without Henry Ruggs, who missed the Patriots game with knee and hamstring injuries. Ruggs’ status for the Bills game is uncertain, though he did not practice Wednesday.
In addition, veteran Tyrell Williams was lost for the season in training camp with a torn pectoral and Rico Gafford missed practice with a hamstring injury.
Quarterback Derek Carr believes in coach Jon Gruden’s ability to cobble together a lineup and a game plan regardless of which receivers are available.
“He has more contingency plans than anyone I’ve ever met in my life,” Carr said. “He’s got a plan for everything.”
Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones are expected to be pressed into expanded roles, an opportunity Agholor says they welcome.
“Preparation never changes,” he said.
It will be a reunion of sorts for Jones, who was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 2017 draft and spent his first two full seasons with Buffalo before being traded to the Raiders early in the 2019 season.
Agholor said Jones still has good knowledge of the Bills’ secondary from his time practicing against them every day.
“It’s definitely an advantage, especially for him,” Agholor said. “I’ll pick his brain and just get prepared together.”
Roster update
De’Mornay Pierson-El was signed to the team’s practice squad and was on the field for Wednesday’s practice, adding depth to the team’s depleted wide receiver corps. The former Nebraska standout was waived at the end of training camp.
Pierson-El, 24, had nine receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown while appearing in all four preseason games for the Raiders in 2019.
He has had stints in the XFL, the AAF and the CFL after originally signing an NFL deal with Washington as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2018. In a corresponding move, quarterback DeShone Kizer was released from the practice squad.
Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota returned to practice on Wednesday, starting the clock on a 21-day evaluation period for the team to make a decision on whether to activate him from injured reserve.
Injury report
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski was back on the practice field Wednesday after missing the last two games because of a pectoral injury suffered in the opener at Carolina. He was limited.
Ruggs, Edwards, receiver Rico Gafford, cornerback Damon Arnette, defensive tackle Daniel Ross and right tackle Trent Brown all sat out on Wednesday.
Backup tackle Sam Young, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury, got in a limited practice. Linebacker Cory Littleton was also limited because of a knee injury.
Speaks works out
Former Chiefs second-round pick Breeland Speaks got a tryout with the Raiders, according to the league’s official list of tryouts and visits.
The defensive end played 16 games in his rookie season and spent last year on injured reserve, except for the four games he was suspended for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy.
He has 1.5 sacks and four starts in his career. Speaks was released on Sept. 5 and had a tryout with the Seahawks earlier this month.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter. Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
