Raiders report: With Derek Carr ailing, team adds quarterback

Raiders Report

All practices at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, unless noted:

■ Tuesday — Off

■ Wednesday — Practice, 10:50 a.m.

■ Thursday — Practice, 10:50 a.m.

■ Friday — Practice, 11 a.m.

■ Saturday — Off

■ Sunday — vs. Miami Dolphins, Allegiant Stadium, 1:05 p.m.

Quote of the day

Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden is pleased with his team’s 2-0 start against two of the traditional powers of the AFC.

He’s also thrilled to be getting back to more of a sense of normalcy on game days. Even though there are still health and safety protocols in place, they have started to ease enough to allow for some interactions with fans that are now allowed back in the building.

It’s quite a change from all the empty venues last season, including at Allegiant Stadium.

“Yeah, I think taking the mask off and being able to meet some people in Vegas is exciting,” Gruden said Monday. “We moved during a pandemic. We’re building our team and putting our team together, as other teams are, during a pandemic, and we had to move from California to Las Vegas. We’re actually making some friends and seeing our fans for the first time, so there’s the natural amount of enthusiasm and excitement and newness, freshness to this whole thing. I think it’s fueling us to a degree.”

Injury report

At his Monday news conference, Gruden referred to quarterback Derek Carr, running back Josh Jacobs and right tackle Alex Leatherwood as questionable for Sunday’s game against Miami, though that designation doesn’t mean the same for all three players.

Carr had an MRI on his ankle on Monday after shaking off the injury and finishing off a strong performance against Pittsburgh. He appears to be trending in the right direction.

“I think he’s going to be able to play,” Gruden said. “I’m not sure. We’ll have the official injury list for you … but I think right now he’s questionable.”

The first injury report of the week will be released on Wednesday.

Jacobs missed Sunday’s game and there appears to be some pessimism about his availability for Sunday.

“I met with him this morning, and he’s in great spirits,” Gruden said. “He’s really happy with the win. I would think he’s day-to-day and very questionable again for this game.”

As for Leatherwood, who left Sunday’s game and did not return, the jury is still out.

“We’re going to call it a back strain,” Gruden said. “So, he’s being evaluated as we speak, and we’ll list him I’m sure as questionable until we get further information. But we need our right tackle for sure.”

Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was able to play 29 snaps against the Steelers despite battling a hamstring injury all week.

“He’s a captain on the team and he’s always been tough,” Gruden said. “He’s a strange tough. He’s a really strange tough. This guy likes it. I think he enjoys the misery. Being double-teamed, being chipped, the hot moments, pressure-packed situations. I think he takes a lot of pride in performing at a high level when he’s not 100 percent physically, and maybe the protection sliding to him, he finds a way. That’s why he’s one of our captains and that’s why he’s one of the premier rushers in the league.”

Transactions

With Carr ailing and backup Marcus Mariota on injured reserve, Nathan Peterman was left as the only healthy quarterback on the roster.

That changed Monday when the organization added Northern Colorado alum Kyle Sloter to the practice squad.

The 27-year-old spent time on the Raiders roster early in the preseason before he was released in April. He has also been a part of the Bears, Lions, Cardinals and Vikings, though he has yet to play in a regular-season game.

His best preseason came with Denver in 2017 when he went 31 of 43 for 413 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

“He’s had some good preseason moments and he’s a talented young player,” Gruden said. “With Mariota out, you see Nate Peterman taking all the scout team reps. You don’t get to see practice, but we have a lot of reps, and we got a pass rush that’s coming, and every day I worry about someone stepping on Nate and not having a backup quarterback. So, we have to be smart. Sloter will be a quick study. He’s a smart guy. He’ll take a lot of the scout team reps that Nate won’t take now.”

The Raiders also reverted Trey Ragas and Lester Cotton Sr. back to the practice squad and released cornerback Nevin Lawson, who has completed his league-mandated two-game suspension to start the season.