NFL teams have to adjust to injuries, there’s no way around that. The Las Vegas Raiders are no different and have to adapt to a stretch where the injury bug has stricken them. Players such as left tackle Trent Brown and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski have missed significant time due to lesions. You can now add rookie cornerback Damon Arnette.
The Raiders are going through a rough injury-stretch
The Silver and Black released their Week 4 injury report on Wednesday. In it, we can see some interesting developments. The most meaningful one may be that Kwiatkoski is practicing, even if it’s not fully. Although we don’t know if he’ll play in Week 4’s matchup against Buffalo, it’s encouraging to see him partaking in team activities. Backup tackle Sam Young continues to battle a groin injury he sustained in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.
Wide receiver Henry Ruggs III is still dealing with a hamstring injury and the Raiders may be without him against the Bills. The same is true for fellow rookie Bryan Edwards, who sustained an ankle injury when he hauled in a 34-yard catch in Week 2 against the New England Saints. We’ll likely see a heavy dose of Hunter Renfrow, Nelson Agholor, and Zay Jones on Sunday.
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Trent Brown didn’t practice on Wednesday due to the calf injury he’s been dealing with all season long. However, the most devastating injury news regarding the Raiders is about cornerback Damon Arnette. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that Arnette will see a thumb specialist after injuring his digit against the Bills. Rapoport adds that the Ohio State standout may miss six weeks.
Bad news for the #Raiders defense: 1st-round CB Damon Arnette is visiting a thumb specialist today after falling awkwardly on it Sunday, sources say. The thumb re-injury could sideline him for a month & a half & put him on Injured Reserve. He’ll find out soon if it’s worst-case.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 29, 2020
Arnette was going through the usual growing pains that come with being a rookie. However, he displayed some flashes of playmaking prowess too. We will now have to wait to see how the situation unfolds. In the meantime, we will likely see veteran Nevin Lawson play the opposite of a rising Trayvon Mullen.
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*Top Photo: Benjamin Hager/Associated Press