65°F
weather icon Cloudy

Raiders report: Linebacker designated for potential return

Raiders report

Schedule

All practices at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, unless noted:

Wednesday — Practice, 11 a.m.

Thursday — Practice, 11 a.m.

Friday — Off

Saturday — at Cincinnati Bengals, Paul Brown Stadium, 1:35 p.m.

Sunday — TBA

podcast

Quote of the day

Jalen Richard was an undrafted rookie the last time the Raiders made the playoffs.

While his quarterback Derek Carr was an MVP candidate that year before a late-season injury caused him to miss what would have been the lone playoff game of his career, Richard believes Carr is even better now.

“He’s gotten better, smarter, stronger,” Richard said. “He loves to flex his arms and stuff.”

Injury report

Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins did not participate in Tuesday’s walkthrough session, the first practice of the week. He returned to the field on Sunday after missing two games with an ailing back and knee, playing 29 snaps.

Hankins was the only active roster player to sit out the session as the Raiders began their preparation for the Bengals.

Tight end Darren Waller (knee), safety Tre’von Moehrig (shoulder), running back Josh Jacobs (ribs) and cornerback Casey Hayward (ankle) were all limited.

Transactions

The Raiders officially placed defensive tackle Darius Philon on injured reserve Tuesday, but provided a bit of unexpected optimism in regard to another defensive player.

Linebacker Nicholas Morrow was designated for return from injured reserve. That means he can practice with the team. The Raiders have 21 days to decide whether to activate him.

He has been out the entire season after undergoing ankle surgery for an injury suffered during training camp. It’s unclear how close he is to being able to participate in a game, but the roster move at least cracks open the door.

The team also released Will Compton for the second time in a week. He was put on waivers on Jan. 5 and then re-signed two days later. Compton saw 17 plays on special teams on Sunday in the win over the Chargers.

Linebacker Marquel Lee and defensive tackle Kendal Vickers both returned from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Raiders also brought linebacker Justin March-Lillard and tight end Daniel Helm back to the practice squad, along with adding defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs.

“He’s a big guy that can come in and stop the run,” defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson said of Buggs, a former Steeler.

Wide receiver Javon Wims and linebacker Asmar Bilal were released from the practice squad.

Rolling the dice

Carr said he has ‘definitely’ been more willing to take more chances by throwing 50-50 balls into tight coverage and giving his receivers chances to make plays.

“I talked about it coming into the season, being more aggressive and sometimes it leads to, honestly, more picks. But sometimes those picks are just big, deep punts,” said Carr, who threw the most interceptions of his career with 14 this season. “I always talked to Kurt Warner about it. He’s like, ‘I never cared about the picks. So long as I was throwing the ball down the field to let those (defensive backs) know they’ve got to back up so I could have everything else that I wanted later.’ And so, it’s definitely a conscious decision that I’m trying to throw and force the ball down the field.”

Another benefit to the aggressiveness and hidden from the stat sheet is all the pass interference penalties the Raiders have benefited from this season.

“We got two huge pass interference plays on scrambles and me chucking it up this last game, taking those opportunities and those chances,” Carr said.

Like and follow Vegas Nation
THE LATEST
 
NFL approves dramatic new kickoff rules

NFL owners approved a one-year proposal that results in sweeping changes on kickoffs and is intended to encourage more returns while limiting injuries.

Who’s wearing what number for the Raiders this season?

The Raiders’ offseason moves mean new faces and new uniform numbers, including for their high-priced free-agent signee, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.