Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area reported earlier on some possibilities regarding which players might not see action for the Raiders’ NFL preseason opener versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The long wait for Raider Nation to see the Silver and Black suit up is drawing to an end as the Oakland Raiders open up their preseason against the Arizona Cardinals this Saturday. In spite of the anticipation, fans in attendance might have to settle for not seeing the Raiders’ star power.
We don’t typically play the front line a great deal in the first game,” Del Rio said. “We’ll see when we get there.”
– Raiders’ head coach Jack Del Rio on possibilities for Saturday
It seems like it is dubious quarterback Derek Carr will play according to Bair. However, that might not be such a bad thing. Carr appears to have healed from his injury but without left tackle Donald Penn to protect Carr, for now, perhaps keeping him off of the field is a safe bet.
Bair also mentioned that two other stars for the Silver and Black would not be seeing action, linebacker Khalil Mack and wide receiver Amari Cooper, due to nagging injuries that have affected their time in camp.
Defensively speaking, the Raiders’ much-heralded rookies, Gareon Conley and Obi Melifonwu, also will not be seeing action.
While certainly any fan in attendance will be disappointed, the fact is that this available playing time against actual NFL competition (even if it is preseason) will be great for the other players on the squad. In particular, keep an eye on the quarterbacks, let’s see how Connor Cook is looking now in his second year. While it is early in the current Penn saga that’s dominating the news, this will also be the first look at an offensive line without its premier anchor.
After what seems to have been an eternal offseason that only served to increase the expectations for this team now fans can finally look forward to seeing some results on the field, even if like I said before, is only preseason football.
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