Trent Brown returns to practice field
Trent Brown returned to the practice field Friday for the first time since testing positive for COVID-19 last week.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden was noncommittal about his starting right tackle’s availability for Sunday’s game against the Browns in Cleveland.
“Well, we’ll find out,” he said before boarding a bus for the airport. “We still have a couple more days to get him acclimated to our game plan. He’s been out for a while as you know, so it’s good to see him back out here, but I won’t make any more statements than that.”
Brown, who was seen wearing a mask during the open stretch portion of Friday’s practice, was activated from reserve/COVID list on Friday afternoon. He was technically not listed on the injury report and has no official designation because he wasn’t on the active roster when the list was compiled.
Gruden did say that Brown has been able to perform at a high level in the past despite limited practice time, which may make him feel more comfortable putting him on the field.
“He’s a great player. He’s All-Pro. I think it starts there,” Gruden said. “When you have really good players, some of them are able to get by with less practice time. … it’s the talent level that he has that really helps him get by in situations like this.”
The biggest question Gruden has is Brown’s level of conditioning. The 27-year-old has not been in the facility since receiving word of his positive test last Wednesday.
“I want to find out what his wind is,” Gruden said. “You know he had COVID-19, which is a serious deal, so we have to find out what his conditioning is like. There’s a lot of other things to weigh into this as well.”
Cornerback Damon Arnette was also removed from the reserve/COVID list on Friday. He remains on injured reserve following thumb surgery.
Injury report
Wide receiver Bryan Edwards carries a questionable designation into Sunday’s game while defensive end Arden Key is doubtful to play for the Raiders.
Those are the only two players with official designations on Friday’s injury report.
Edwards has missed the last four games with foot and ankle injuries. Gruden said earlier in the week he didn’t expect the rookie to be available Sunday, but he did get in three limited practice sessions this week.
Key has not practiced at all with a foot injury.
Defensive tackle Maliek Collins (shoulder), running back Josh Jacobs (knee), defensive end Carl Nassib (toe) and offensive tackle Sam Young (knee) are all good to go after three limited practice sessions this week.
Homecoming
The Raiders are preparing for some ugly weather on Sunday, with forecasts calling for rain and gusts upwards of 50 miles per hour and sustained winds around 30 mph.
Gruden, who was born in Sandusky and went to college at Dayton, said the conditions will be familiar to him as someone who grew up in the area. He prepared his team by practicing with wet footballs, but said it’s more difficult to simulate the cold and wind.
He cracked a smile when talking about his return to the area.
“My dad and mom are from Cleveland and if you pick up the phone book there’s actually some Grudens that live there, so it’s kind of cool,” he said. “It’s the only phone book I ever picked up where there’s some Grudens, so it’d be nice to win a game in front of some fellow Grudens.”
Ohio regulations allow for 12,000 tickets to be sold for Browns home games. It’s unclear how many will be Grudens.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.