Raiders report: 2 players on IR; Bowers discusses viral golf interview

The Raiders placed star defensive end Maxx Crosby and starting running back Sincere McCormick on injured reserve Wednesday, officially ending their seasons.

Crosby underwent ankle surgery Tuesday after announcing last weekend he would not be able to play in the final four games.

McCormick injured his ankle in the first half of Monday night’s loss to the Falcons. He said on his social media account Tuesday he would return next season.

“Everything happens for a reason,” Crosby wrote Tuesday night on Instagram with a picture of himself leaving the hospital in a wheelchair. “This bounceback will be iconic.”

The Raiders signed running back Chris Collier from their practice squad and added defensive end Andre Carter II from the Vikings’ practice squad to fill the roster spots.

Carter was a third-team All-American at Army in 2021 and has been in the Vikings organization since entering the league last year.

“I’ve been working hard all year on the practice squad, so I’m excited to get this opportunity,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to Sunday. Playing football is what I’ve always wanted to do, and I haven’t had that chance this year.

“I want to do anything I can to help this team, so I’m just going to try to learn the playbook and try to be a great teammate by going out there and doing my job.”

The Raiders also signed defensive end Ovie Oghoufo and running back Isaiah Spiller to the practice squad.

Spiller was a fourth-round pick of the Chargers in 2022 out of Texas A&M, when Raiders general manager Tom Telesco held the same job with the Chargers.

Not ready for prime time

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers got a bit of cross-sport promotion when he was interviewed during TNT’s broadcast of the Crypto.com Showdown golf event at Shadow Creek on Tuesday.

Bowers is often shy talking about himself, and many social media users who were seeing him on camera for the first time expressed shock that he was a man of few words.

“It was a good time,” Bowers said Wednesday. “I feel like maybe I wasn’t mentally prepared for the interview, but it was cool.”

Bowers did come away impressed by Shadow Creek and the ability of the players. Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy topped Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the event.

“That course is awesome,” Bowers said. “Watching those dudes hit the ball, they just launch it off the club. It’s like the shots you think about and wish you could hit, but they’re actually doing it. It’s crazy.”

Injury report

Starting guard Jordan Meredith was the only Raider listed as a non-participant for Wednesday’s practice, the first session of the week in preparation for Sunday’s home game against Jacksonville.

Meredith is dealing with an ankle injury.

Quarterback Aidan O’Connell was back on the field after missing all of last week with a knee injury. He was listed as a full participant and could be on track to return to the lineup this week. Quarterback Desmond Ridder, who got the start against Atlanta, was also listed as a full participant with a hip injury.

Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (ankle) and cornerback Sam Webb (back) were limited. Running back Alexander Mattison was a full participant despite dealing with a neck injury.

Nominations stacking up

Crosby was named one of eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, the NFL revealed Wednesday.

The announcement comes a week after he was named the team’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Crosby has been nominated for the Rooney award in each of the past two seasons. It’s awarded annually to a player who best embodies the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition.

Current NFL players will vote to determine a winner, with the results being announced at the NFL Honors show in February.

A $25,000 donation will be made to the winner’s charity of choice.

Charles Woodson (2015) is the only Raiders player to claim the prize.

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